Once Upon a Time In Miami And Vegas
by CJ Moliere
Summary: While Regina and Henry are trying their luck at the real slots in the Las Vegas Casinos with Snow, Emma, Hook and David tagging along, Rumple, Belle, Neal and Tink head off to Miami Beach. Chaos ensues when they are arrested by the Miami Beach Vice Squad during a raid on the club they are visiting and learn the resort they're staying in is a cover for another type of business.
1. Storybrooke: Bon Voyage

Ruby and her grandmother hosted a Bon Voyage dinner for the two sets of travelers the day before their departure at the diner. Nearly all the residents of their little town attended, expressing both excitement and concern that their most prominent residents were once again off on another adventure outside their boundaries. Emma and Neal were the only ones who had seen more of this world than their fairy tale counterparts and found it both exciting and frightening but they were tired of being confined in the small town and so were their friends and family members. The trips being taken by the Charming/Mills/Gold families would serve as a test to the others whether it was safe enough for all of them to enter the outside world.

"Do you want me to bring you anything back from Vegas, Grandpa?" Henry asked Rumple.

"Whatever you like. I'll see what Belle, your father and I can pick up for you in Miami Beach."

"Great."

While Rumple was talking to his grandson, Ruby pulled Belle aside and handed her a large box.

"What's this?"

"A little something I picked up for you to wear to remind your husband he still needs to keep up in his efforts to get you pregnant," she said.

Belle opened the box to find a nightgown similar to one she bought weeks earlier however this one was more revealing. "Ummm, thank you Ruby."

"He _is_ working on it, isn't he? Not being up all night playing the slots on the computer?"

"Oh, we still play but...we have an agreement that we don't play at night."

"You guys can still go with us. I don't think Papa will mind," Neal was saying to the Darling clan.

"No. You need this time with him and Belle," Wendy told him. "We can all go some other time. Just bring us back lots of pictures and stories. Yours will probably be the quietest of vacations because you all get along. The others..."

Neal chuckled. "I don't even want to think about how they'll be able to stand being around each other for two weeks without wanting to kill. Then again, they managed it in Neverland."

"That was different. They had Pan to deal with," Michael pointed out. "Speaking of him...how is your father coping?"

"He doesn't talk about him at all...at least not to me. I know that was his father but Papa did what he had to do and he saved us all."

"And helped bring us back together," Jonathan added. "We'll always be grateful to him and Belle for that."

Both sets of travelers were back in their homes before 7 pm since they had early flights out of Maine the next morning. The Miami group would ride together to the airport in Rumple's Cadillac while the Las Vegas group would be divided between riding in Regina's Mercedes, Emma's Bug and David's truck. The separate vehicles were required because of Regina's refusal to have anyone other than Henry in her car.

The group leaving for Las Vegas gathered at Regina's home early in the morning.

"Regina, where's Henry?"

"I'm right behind you, Mom?" Emma heard an unfamiliar voice speak up from behind her and spun around to face a man who looked to be in his early twenties standing behind her. He had the same brown hair and eyes as their son and some of Neal's facial features but this couldn't be Henry. It had to be a trick the way Pan had tricked them when they first returned from Neverland by swapping bodies with the boy.

"Regina! REGINA WHAT IN GOD'S NAME DID YOU DO?" Emma shouted.

"I can't get in the casinos unless I'm twenty-one, so Mom used an illusion spell to make me look like an adult to everyone else but family. Close your eyes and then reopen them," the boy instructed.

Emma obeyed and when she opened her eyes, the younger Henry stood before her. She breathed a sigh of relief. "But magic doesn't work outside Storybrooke," she argued. "We know that because your grandfather's didn't when we went to find your father."

"That was only as long as the Dark Curse was still active," Regina explained. "I never got the chance to tell him before he left for Miami Beach. I crossed the town line and did an experiment of my own and found I can use magic far beyond its borders."

"That may come in handy in Vegas," Emma muttered. "It's a whole new world to you Regina."

"Yes, but one I'm ready to conquer," she declared in her Evil Queen voice. "All the riches in Vegas shall be mine."

"This is going to be hell," Snow muttered.

"For you, maybe," Regina retorted. "Word of advice...put some space between us and there won't be any problems."

"Well you won't be stopping me from getting my own share of the riches," Hook cautioned. "I may try my luck at the poker tables."

"So then, do we have everything?" Regina demanded of the others. "Money, credit cards, IDs?"

"All of the above. I take it we have a fake one for Henry?" Emma asked.

"I don't know how Neal got hold of one, but yes."

Emma had her suspicions but she wasn't going to bring it up. Not long after they met she was starting to realize that he was probably guilty of more than just stealing watches but he never mentioned anything about his past. She now understood why. He'd been estranged from his father and before he knew who she was, he kept it secret because he doubted she would believe he was the son of an evil sorcerer.

"One more thing: no magic from you!"

"I beg your pardon."

"You heard me. We're not going to be in Storybrooke anymore and the last thing we need to do is draw attention to ourselves by doing things that make people think we're not normal. We're just a family on vacation, nothing else."

"She's right Regina," David spoke up.

"Then we have to do something about _him_. That hook is going to stand out and it won't get us anywhere other than in jail if he walks into the airport wearing it." She waved her hand and Hook's prized weapon was replaced by an artificial hand. "All right, let's get going."

Belle stared at her husband in confusion as he removed his shoes and dropped them in a container at the airport and handed the attendant his cane.

"Sweetheart, it's a safety precaution...uncivilized, but it is," he said to her. She frowned and removed her boots while Neal and Tink followed suit. Once they were through the checkpoint they recovered their items and boarded the plane, three of them excited yet nervous at the same time. It was as if they were entering a whole new world. For Neal, going back to Miami was like another homecoming. It was the place he'd retreated to after leaving Canada, the place that had gotten him out of a life of crime. The only problems were that he feared his father finding out he'd done more than just commit a few robberies in Miami Beach and staying out of the way of the vice squad or his old boss. It had been eleven years but the three officers he dealt with had very long memories.


	2. Vegas: The Royal Treatment

Regina had spared no expense to make this trip with Henry memorable even though the two idiots, their annoying daughter and a scoundrel ex-pirate were also along for the ride. Were they not so important to her son she would have left them behind. If they all thought she could just forget the reasons why she still disliked all of them overnight, they were sadly mistaken and her primary nemesis was turning back into the soft hearted fool he'd been before he became the Dark One thanks to that silly librarian he married. Oh, they had their little verbal spats once in a while but what she wouldn't give for a long, drawn out feud again.

Yet had he not decided to rid himself of his darkness forever they both knew it would have cost them Henry and his being safe was worth the loss of her best source of wicked entertainment outside her online life. One of these days she was going to take Henry on a trip alone whether his father (to her he was nothing more than the sperm donor) and Emma liked it or not. While they were doing God knew what in the years until they showed up in Storybrooke, _she'd_ been the one to raise him into the strong boy he was now. Even Rumple had been forced to admit that.

While they were collecting their luggage, she spotted a limo driver holding up a card with her last name on it. The transport service had been recommended to her by one of her fellow online slot players. She planned to meet up with a group of them at Caeasar's Palace so that they could act as tour guides for her.

"Welcome to Las Vegas Ms. Mills. I'm Barry and I'll be your driver for the duration of your trip," the driver greeted her.

"Thank you. This is Henry and...our friends Emma, Mary, David and Killian."

"And welcome to all of you too. Let's get your bags stored in the trunk and we'll be off."

To the driver's surprise, Emma, Hook, Snow and David loaded their own luggage themselves. Once they were in the car however, Hook was immediately drawn to the well stocked refrigerator and poured himself a glass of rum.

"You are not getting wasted before we even get there!" Emma hissed.

"I'm not love, but you need to taste this. It's the best rum I've ever had."

"I'm surprised you didn't bring your own supply," Regina muttered while Emma and Snow glared at her. "What? Look at him! Not even here an hour and he's at the booze."

"Well, that's going to be his only one for the day," Emma said firmly.

Snow and David nearly jumped out of their seats when the windows came down.

"I figured since this was your first time in Las Vegas you might want to enjoy the scenery during the ride," Barry said into the intercom.

"Thank you, that is very nice of you to do, Barry." Snow poked her head out the window as did her husband and Hook.

"Mom, are we going to go to some of these other casinos?" Henry asked.

"We certainly are. And there's a lot more to do here in Vegas than just going to the casinos."

"Yeah, kid," Emma agreed. "A lot of singers are starting to book long term concert dates here now. You may not know some of them but their music is pretty good. You have to get tickets pretty early though. There's also comedy clubs and sports, even magic events."

"That sounds cool." Henry exclaimed.

"You managed to find all that out in the year you stayed here?" Regina inquired.

"Yeah. I got my first bail bond job here. I'm surprised you didn't know that already since you had me checked out." Emma laughed.

"It slipped my mind."

"I wonder if the others are in Miami yet," David mused.

"They should be," Regina replied.

"Well, folks here we are! Caesar's Palace!" Barry announced.

"Oh my God!" Snow exclaimed as she gazed up at the building with its elegant while columns and fountains with clear blue waters. "It does look like a palace!" She took out her phone and snapped a picture. "Come on, lets take a picture of all of us standing in front of it."

"I'll be happy to do that for you," Barry offered. Regina took her camera out of her purse and handed it to him while the group arranged themselves so that they would all be in the shot. "Okay everyone, say Viva, Las Vegas!"

"Viva Las Vegas!" they shouted as he snapped the picture.

They were booked into the Nobu Penthouse. It was a beautiful Japanese styled suite with a grand curved staircase, a second story terrace, stone hearth walls and the sofas were pure leather with berry and gold accents. There was a pool table, a 90 inch flatscreen TV, a private dining room, a minibar and the beds were made with Filo Doro linens. There were five bedrooms but they would only be occupying three as they were sharing them.

"Wow!" Emma gasped. "Regina, I don't even want to imagine what this is gonna cost you!"

"Oh, I'll win some of it back in the casino," she said confidently.

"Snow, we're able to go to a private pool, a fitness room and a spa!" David said as he read more about their accomodations on the brochure he spotted on one of the tables.

"I've always wanted to go to a spa," Snow murmured.

"So have I but I want to check out that fitness room too." Emma informed her.

"Why don't we take a day and go to the spa together...just the two of us?" her mother suggested.

"That sounds great."

"There's plenty for all of you to do besides go to the casinos."

"Trying to get rid of us so you can take all the booty, Regina?" Hook teased.

_No, it's just the thought of having to spend two weeks in the company of you all again twenty four hours a day would be enough to make me go insane,_ she thought. Rumple at least enjoyed being with his travel companions. Regina's only consolation was that she was there with her son.

"You'll spend most of your day cleaning out the bar," she retorted. "Emma, I think you should consider doing something about your lover's little problem."

"I'm not a drunk!" he protested.

"Come on guys, let's not fight!" Henry pleaded. Regina lowered her head. The only sensible thing to do to avoid conflicts like this was for all of them to go their separate ways once they left the suite.

"First things first, lets get unpacked. I'm a little tired so I think I'll take a nap before we head out." Snow said.

"I think I will too." David added.

"Ummm...Regina, do you have any plans for Henry at the moment or can he go with me and Hook to look around?" Emma inquired.

"You can take him out for a while. There's some people I'm meeting here for lunch," Regina replied.

"Well then lad, where do you want to go first?"

"I don't know Hook. Maybe we can go to the shops. I want to get stuff for Dad, Belle and Grandpa. I promised them I would."

"The shops it is then."

"Henry, you'll need this," Regina handed him a credit card with his name on it. "The shops are in the Forum and there are restaurants there so you can have lunch in between browsing. Don't worry about the limit. It's taken care of."

"Regina, you do realize handing the kid a credit card is like opening Fort Knox...right?"

"I spare no expense for my son, Ms. Swan."

_Our son, Regina. You may want to forget that, but I won't. _

"Thanks Mom!" Henry quickly stored the card in his wallet.

Snow and David eretrieved their luggage and claimed their bedroom. Emma and Hook went to theirs while Regina took Henry to their room to help him unpack.

"Mom, are those people you met online gonna be the ones you're having lunch with."

"Yes. You'll meet them later once we go to the casinos but I had to tell them you're my...stepson because they'll see you as an adult while we'll see you as you really are."

"I don't mind as long as I get to play."

Regina chuckled. Henry sat down at the desk and pulled his laptop out of its case. "What are you doing, honey?"

"Me, Dad and Belle are doing a travel log on Facebook...you know, for everyone back home. I want to see if Dad got there yet. Can I borrow your camera so I can upload the picture Barry took?"

"Of course. It's a wonderful idea Henry." Regina retrieved her camera from her carryon bag and handed it to him. He connected it to the laptop, opened his Facebook page and began to compose an entry for the log.

_Hi everybody!_

_We just got here and this place is so cool! We're in a penthouse suite so we have a big screen TV, a pool table and we can go to a private pool and spa! Our driver took this picture of us standing outside the Hotel. It looks big outside but it's even bigger inside. Here's some pictures of opur penthouse I found on the website. I'll take my own later but this gives you an idea of how cool it is here! I'm going shopping with Emma and Hook. Grandpa and Grandma are taking a nap and Mom's meeting some friends for lunch. Will update later. Miss you all, especially Wendy. John and Michael. I'll bring you all something neat back. Check Dad and Belle's Facebook pages for their updates from Miami and I'll bring you mine every night. Gonna go shopping now but expect more details and pics tonight! _


	3. Miami: The Fountain of Venus

"You guys wait here while Tink and I get our stuff," Neal suggested to his father when they entered the terminal at the Miami airport.

"Bae, Belle and I are quite capable of.." his father protested.

"We insist," Tink said, leaving no room for argument.

"Oh, if you must." Rumple grumbled and led his wife over to a bench to wait. Belle spotted an information kiosk and walked over to it, picking up some brochures for them to look at.

"Rumple...this beach...it looks more beautiful than Storybrooke and why is it so warm this time of year?" she asked.

"Because, my sweetheart, we are in a different part of the country," he explained. "The farther south we go, the warmer it is and Florida is actually like this all year round. Many people come here during the wintertime."

"I wouldn't want to. I enjoy winter."

He smiled. "You always did. I can't count the times you insisted on making me go with you for one of your walks while we lived in the Dark Castle or sit with you by the fireplace even when I was _trying_ to work."

She chuckled. "Oh, look. Here is a brochure of where we're staying! Neal, is this what McDermott Manor looked like when you lived here?" she asked him when he and Tinkerbell returned with the luggage.

Neal studied the photograph. "Damn, Lanie wasn't kidding when she said the place expanded! When I worked there it was just one building. Now it says there are four."

"What did you do there, Bae?" Rumple inquired.

"Ummm...I was a bouncer. They have a private night club in the Oasis building and I worked the overnight shift. Mostly hauling out drunks," he said quickly and took out his phone to make a quick call. "Lanie? We just got here. Okay. Thanks. They're sending a limo here for us. Luckily I know the driver otherwise we'd have to look for someone waiting around with a card with our name on it."

"How far are we from the resort?"

"About twenty minutes but we can ask Jimmy to take the long way so you guys can do some sightseeing."

"That sounds wonderful," Belle murmured.

"Neal! Is that you?" a man called out.

"Jimmy Willis! Long time no see," Neal greeted the man and patted him on the back. "So you're the crazy bastard who married Lanie?"

"Guilty. This must be your dad. Hello. I'm Jimmy Willis," Jimmy said as he held his hand out for Rumple.

"Hello, Mr. Willis. Rumplestiltskin Gold. This is my wife Belle and Neal's friend Tink."

Rumple waited for the laughter to begin once he'd spoken his name but unlike the tart on the phone, her husband had better manners.

"Welcome to Miami Beach, Mr. Gold...Mrs. Gold...and Tink. I'll get your bags loaded and we'll be off."

"You mind taking the long way, Jimmy? My family hasn't been down south before."

"There's a lot for you to see then."

Rumple watched with a small smile as his wife snapped pictures of anything she deemed interesting. She and Neal were going to keep a travel log on Facebook while Henry chronicled their Vegas journey. He knew _that_ trip was going to be filled with all sorts of tension and he didn't envy the boy one bit having to put up with it. His wife tugging on his arm interrupted his thoughts.

"Rumple, look at the water in the ocean...I've never seen water so blue!" she cried and snapped another picture. "It's perfect for our morning walks!"

His morning walks during the curse had been to collect the rent from his tenants. After the curse he'd had little time to go out to collect rent or simply for the exercize because there were Cora and Hook to deal with and his father who now had a place reserved for him in the deepest pit in hell and was rotting there along with his menacing sidekick Felix. Since his marriage however, he was able to resume his routine only having a companion made it far more enjoyable.

"I'd love to swim in the ocean," Tink confessed.

"Hon, you wouldn't have to. You can get drenched just standing there at high tide," Neal informed her. "I'm going to take you guys to all my old haunts. You'll love it. Of course, I won't keep you and Papa occupied all the time Belle. I know you want some time alone."

"Yes, but father and son time is important too," Belle reminded him.

Rumple couldn't have loved his wife any more than he did at that moment. She made it a point once she and his son got to know each other that she wouldn't demand all of her husband's attention. She had enough love in her heart to share it among so many people.

"We're here! Welcome to McDermott Manor!" Jimmy announced.

The quartet stepped out of the car in front of a white moon shaped building with a gazebo and crystal blue fountain with a statue of Venus in front. Neal ushered his father and Belle over to the gazebo to pose for a picture. Belle rested her head on her husband's shoulder while he had his arm wrapped around her waist, both of them wearing the same loving smile on their lips.

"If that's not a couple with true love, I don't know what is," Tink mused aloud. "You couldn't have picked a better place for them."

"Your turn Bae," his father said.

"C'mon Tink." Neal took her arm and led her over to the fountain, picking her up.

"Neal!"

Neal winked at his father and before Tinkerbell even realized what was happening, she found herself being tossed into the fountain while Rumple took a picture.

"Neal, you jerk!" she cried as she pulled him in with her.

Several guests who were walking by paused and gazed over at the soaking wet former fairy laughing.

"It's been a long time since we've had a newlywed christening!" one of the women announced.

"Hey Papa? You thinking what I'm thinking?" Neal inquired.

Rumple smirked. It would hurt like hell to put so much weight on his leg but it would be worth it. Neal quickly turned the camera on record.

"Don't you dare...Rumple!" Belle cried as she felt herself being lifted into her husband's arms. He limped over to the fountain and dropped his bride in. "Ohhh...you are in trouble!"

Neal was laughing so much he could barely keep the camera straight but he'd managed to get a shot of his father dropping Belle into the fountain. As Rumple reached out his hand to his wife, she gripped his tightly and pulled him in with her while cameras went off around them.

"Double christening! This is a record!" one of them called out while the fountain's occupants climbed out, their clothes clinging to their bodies.

"Well, this should be an interesting check in...we look like drowned rats," Rumple muttered as they entered the hotel. When they approached the reception desk the woman seated behind it smiled.

"So Neal, you remembered the tradition," she said.

"What tradition?" Belle asked.

"We have a tradition here that couples bless their love by one dropping the other in the Fountain of Venus and then pulling their partner in with them. Welcome to McDermott Manor. I'm Elizabeth McDermott but you can call me Beth," she said as she stepped out from behind the desk and embraced Neal.

"Beth, why are you at the front desk? You short handed?" Neal asked her.

"No. I work the front desk for a week every month. Come on. Let's get you out of those wet clothes and situated in your suites."

Rumple and Belle stood with mouthes agape as they gazed around the place where they would be staying. The suite was more like an apartment complete with its own kitchen, a wine refrigerator, a dining room with a table with room for eight. In the sitting room was a 60 inch television. There were two balconies, one on the first level and the second would be in their bedroom. The couple also had their own pool and spa, and a laundry room.

"With all this...we wouldn't need to leave the room," Belle whispered.

"I know when I got married I didn't want to," Beth joked. "I'll show you the bedroom," she said as she led them down the hall and thrust open the door. They glanced over at the king sized bed, covered with rose petals.

"That's another tradition of ours. Every bride deserves to sleep one night in a bed of roses."

"It's beautiful," Belle said breathlessly.

"I'll leave you two alone then. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you...Beth."

Once the door closed behind her, Rumple took his wife into his arms. "Can't let these rose petals go to waste," he murmured as he lowered her onto the bed.

_Helloooooo Storybrooke!_

_ Sorry, I got that from an old movie. We're here! The place has changed a bit since I've been here but the memories it brings back! First off, I'm posting some pics we took on the ride in. Tink is excited and so are my father and Belle. I can't wait to show them around. This place has it all...shops, clubs, restaurants. I'm going to take them to some of my old haunts. _

_ The funniest part started when we got there. There's a tradition at this place that couples bless their love by one dropping the other in the Fountain of Venus and then being pulled in themselves so here is a shot of me throwing Tink in and her dragging me in. Then as you can see from my video Papa got in the act and yes...there went Belle. She got him back though by making him go in with her. We all looked like drowned rats when we went to check in and we had an audience so I think there's going to be more shots of us doing this all over the internet. Expect updates from me nightly. Belle's posting her own updates too so watch her page. And of course Henry is giving us the inside scoop on the gambling crew in Vegas. We plan on bringing things back for all our friends._

_Hello everyone,_

_ We've arrived in Miami and it is so warm here and absolutely beautiful. Rumple says it stays like this all year around because they never have a winter. I wouldn't like that since I enjoy sitting in front of a warm fireplace during a cold winter's night sipping a cup of tea and reading my favorite novels. We are staying at a resort called McDermott Manor. Neal worked here years ago and is friends with the owner. Rumple and I have been given the honeymoon suite to stay in while Neal and Tink have their own room. Neal has already posted the pictures of our sightseeing on the way to the resort but this picture is my favorite. This is a picture Neal took of Rumple and me standing on the gazebo in front of the main building of the resort. _

_ We weren't aware that there is a tradition of couples blessing their love by jumping or in my case being thrown into the Fountain of Venus. I was concerned because I knew it couldn't have been easy for Rumple to do but so romantic! And it was wonderful that Tink and Neal did this as well. I've posted some pictures of our suite and it is more like a little home for us away from home. I miss all of you back home and in Vegas but I couldn't be happier being here with the man I love, my stepson and hopefully future in-law. _


	4. Vegas: The Vegas Regals, Suite Indeceny

"Welcome to Las Vegas Regina!" a group of people greeted the former Queen as they stood around a large table on the terrace at the Empress Court Restaurant. She smiled, feeling once again like a queen only these subjects actually respected her and it didn't matter that they knew nothing about her past nor would they. To them she was just the mayor of a small town in Maine who had inherited a great fortune.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Where's your stepson? We're looking forward to meeting him?"

"Well, he's shopping with our other friends. Don't worry, he'll be hitting the casinos with us tonight," she assured them. "Jared, you told me in our last chat that you have a bit of a routine."

"We usually meet up for dinner around six, go to the casino from eight til one AM then go to the clubs. We're not back in our rooms til five but if anyone needs to slip out early, that's fine."

"It sounds like fun."

She hadn't had much time for a social life since the curse was cast. She had a town to manage, a son to raise, deal with the nauseating Charmings and help keep youth obsessed, body stealing, heart ripping lunatics like Rumple's father away from their little paradise. The change would do her good.

The group spent the rest of their lunch discussing their gambling strategies. Regina had been known to engage in a poker game or two back in the Enchanted Forest having learned the game by watching Snow's father play then asking him to teach her. It was one of the few things she'd been able to enjoy doing with her husband and she enjoyed it even more when she beat also played Blackjack, roulette and craps but Henry won more than she did at the dice.

Several of the women asked Regina to accompany them while they browsed the forum shops. While she was in Cartier she brought a new watch for Henry with a special inscription that she planned to give to him once they returned home. While she was in Christian Dior she bought Tinkerbell a green satin dress. The reinstated fairy still held onto her belief that Regina's true love was still possible but Regina had given the other half of her heart to her son and felt there was no room in it for anyone else. Yet despite that small difference in opinion, Regina still considered her a friend. She even picked out items for Snow, Emma, Hook, Charming, Neal and Rumbelle as she called Rumple and his wife since they were basically attached at the hip nowadays.

When she returned to the penthouse she dropped her bags on the floor in horror at the sight that met her eyes on the sofa.

"Excuse me!" she barked at the naked couple entwined. They quickly broke apart and made a pathetic attempt to cover themselves.

"Regina! Uhhh...we...uhhh didn't think you'd be back for a while," David nervously.

"I wish I hadn't been. Good God, couldn't you two do that in the bedroom? What if Emma and Henry walked in? Do you want to scar my son for life? Get dressed because I do not want to ruin anymore of this fine decor by vomiting on it. You, on the other hand, better make a call to housekeeping! I want that sofa fumigated before anyone sits on it again!"

"We're sorry Regina."

"Oh, I just bet you are Snow. I...oh God!" she moaned as she caught sight of David's front as he and Snow scurried off to their bedroom. "I'm going to go blind.."

"...Mom do you think Grandpa will like this?" Henry asked as he held up a brown leather briefcase while they were browsing in Louis Vuitton.

"I've never seen the crocodile carry one if that's the one you're referring to," Hook spoke up as he was looking through a rack of leather jackets. He still felt strange being dressed like everyone else but was pleased to know that there were still some decent leather jackets to be found. Back in the old days however if he wanted one, he simply took it.

"I think so. It would be easier for him to store all his papers in instead of those huge trunks." Suddenly Emma's phone vibrated with a text message.

_Do not sit on the sofa in the living room until further notice. It needs fumigated. And I would appreciate it if you would tell your parents that it is not their bedroom either. _

"Oh my God!" she giggled.

"What is it love?" Hook inquired. She showed him the screen. As he read the message, he too started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Henry demanded.

"Ummmm...Regina just sent me a funny text."

"Oh, did she have fun meeting her friends?"

"You can ask her once we get back, okay kid?"

"Yeah."

While she waited for Henry to finish paying for his purchases she typed in a reply to Regina.

_Better you getting scarred this time than me. _

They decided to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. At first Hook was reluctant to go in, thinking the restaurant sold only cheesecakes until he perused the menu and discovered some of his favorite foods listed. Henry ordered pizza, Emma ordered a Southwest Chicken Sandwich while Hook ordered Southern Fried Catfish, All of them had strawberry smoothies to drink.

"Oh...I'm not gonna be able to walk now," Emma groaned after eating. "Wait...Henry, put the card away. I'm buying!" she protested.

"But Mom!"

"No buts. I'm buying," she insisted.

Emma took one look at the sofa in the living room as soon as they got back and she and Hook were laughing hysterically while her parents blushed and Regina was giving them looks that would kill.

"Don't ever let me see you doing that Ms. Swan," she warned.

"I wouldn't dream of it. It was horrifying enough for me."

"None of you are going to let us live this down, are you?" Snow demanded.

"No," came three enthusiastic replies. "And," Regina added. "Since you're well..._rested_ you should go out and find something to do but I want that call made to housekeeping..Henry don't sit there!" she cried out just as her son was about to sit down on the now infamous sofa

"Umm...why?"

"Well...ahh...there's a spill on it that we need to get cleaned up," she said quickly. "Call..housekeeping...NOW!" she barked at the Charmings.

"All right!" Snow grumbled. "He used a condom for Heaven's sake," she muttered under her breath as she started dialing the number on the room phone. It wasn't easy coming up with a lie that would explain why the sofa would need cleaned but somehow she managed it.

"Let's go David," she said as she grabbed her husband's arm and fled the room before they were humiliated any further.

"I'm planning on going to the casinos around eight," Regina announced to her three remaining roommates.

"That's fine with us. It's been a while since I've been in a real casino but never got the chance to play," Emma said.

"Henry, my friends want to meet you and we're meeting for dinner at six."

"That's awesome, Mom. Where at?"

"The Old Homestead Steakhouse."

"I think I'd like to go there too. What about you, Hook?"

"Sounds good to me Emma."

"Why don't you show me all the things you bought Henry. It looks like you almost brought back the whole store," Regina teased.

Snow and David started their own trip off by buying gifts for their friends and family. They didn't discuss the sofa incident, preferring to simply forget about it but they both knew it was going to be the source of blackmail material for everyone, especially Regina in the years to come.

While they were having lunch, David was pulling up show schedules and ticket information on his phone. They both wanted to see the comedian Jeff Dunham and ordered tickets to his show along with ordering another set to a Shania Twain concert.

"We got lucky with Jeff Dunham's tickets. Only two seats left," he said.

"Where's he going to be at?"

"He and Shania will be at The Colosseum."

"Can you see if we can get tickets to the Celine Dion show? I heard she's great out here."

"Yep...got em. We're not going to spend much time in the casinos if we're going to shows almost every night."

"I don't want to..unless I win big."

Snow received several texts from Emma during their outing, the last one asking them to meet her and Hook at the Old Homestead Steakhouse for dinner. Snow sent back a reply telling her that she booked a day at the spa for herself and Emma the following morning just as she promised she would and it would be David and Hook's turn to spend the afternoon with Henry.

Henry was nervous as he and Regina walked into the Old Homestead Steakhouse later on that evening.

"Mom, what if the spell wears off?"

"It won't sweetie. You'll do fine. And when they ask you why you don't drink alcohol, what are you going to tell them?" she quizzed.

"I'm allergic to some of it," he recited.

"That's my little prince," she said proudly.

Henry was pleased to see his mother having such a good time with her new friends. He knew she hardly had any in Storybrooke because most of them still saw her as the Evil Queen but he knew she'd changed for him and he loved her all the more for it. She still had a devious side to her that she let out only in a joking manner, dealing with his grandparents and parents being the only exceptions.

When they got to the casino, they sat at slot machines that were beside each other.

"I'm having a great time Mom. Thanks for bringing me," he said softly.

"I'd do anything for you, Henry. You are my life," Regina murmured. "And the other half of my heart belongs to you and no one else."

He smiled because he knew that she meant it literally. He pressed his hand against his chest where part of her heart's essence rested along with a portion of his grandfather's while other pieces of his were inside his birth parents, the Charmings and even Belle, giving him the ability to call on them if he needed them across time and distance and they would be able to call on him if he needed them. It was the ultimate form of true love and blood magic, even stronger than true love's kiss. It was how his mother and grandfather had finally been able to conquer the darkness inside them and defeat Pan once and for all.

"Mom! Look!" he cried as he pointed at his slot machine. Regina grinned.

"You're off to a good start."

She however, wasn't. It was time to increase her bet.

Author's Notes: I took a different approach on how the Neverland and Storybrooke crew defeated Pan. You'll probably see it in a flashback sometime in here,


	5. Miami: Midnight At The Oasis

Author's Note: And now we have Neal's backstory in Miami.

Later on that night Neal slipped out of his and Tink's suite and walked down to the dock. As it had been years before, the entrance to the dock was secured by a gate that was only accessible through a keycard that only staff members and a select number of guests possessed. He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved the envelope Lanie mailed him before they arrived. When he opened it he found a keycard inside with his name on it. He swiped it on the scanner and the gate opened. Upon his entry, the guard emerged from the duty shack.

"Neal Cassidy! Son of a bitch, it's been what...eleven years? No one told me they rehired you."

"I'm just here on a vacation Brett. You mind giving me a ride over to the club. I want to say hello to the gang."

"You bet. They'll be glad to see you. You wait right here and I'll bring the boat up."

A few minutes later Brett drove up in a speedboat.

When Neal entered the main lobby of the Oasis he spotted several people performing late night housekeeping duties: vaccuming floors, wiping down tables, changing garbage. There were two women sitting in the lounge, one of them dressed in a school girl's uniform while the other wore only a negligee.

"I love playing Principal's Office but my ass is getting raw from the paddlings," the woman in the school girl uniform complained. "I think I'm gonna have to tell him to tone it down a bit."

"That's what I like when I have appointments with Bill. He's not into the kinky shit. Most of the time he doesn't even want to have sex...just talk until we both get tired and fall asleep," the other said.

"The naked volleyball tournament is this week. You playing? It'll give you more excitement than just spending the night talking."

"No, I suck at it."

"Rose? Brittany?" Neal called out. The two women turned their heads in his direction.

"Neal Cassidy!" they exclaimed and jumped off the sofa, nearly tackling him and they threw their arms around him. He laughed. "Rose, still doing the school girl game I see."

"Because I looooove being taken to the principal's office," she cooed.

"Britt, how about you?"

"She's still got the Pretty Woman complex over Bill. If he hasn't married her by now, he's not gonna."

"Shut up Rose!" Brittany snapped. "What are you doing here? Are you coming back to work with us again?"

"No, I'm here on vacation with my father."

"You guys patched things up? That's a shock considering you said he cared more about being this big deal maker than you."

"He's changed now...just got married and he brought his wife for their honeymoon."

"Oh my God! _Your dad_ is the sugar daddy in the honeymoon suite?" Rose exclaimed.

"What? Oh, he is not! Let me guess: Lanie's been spreading that crap all through the resort!" Neal grumbled.

"Okay so correct us if we're wrong. Is your dad not twenty years or more older than his pretty wife?"

"Ummm...yeah."

"And is he rich?"

"Yeah."

"I rest my case."

"Look, Papa is not Belle's sugar daddy. She really loves him," Neal insisted.

"Mmmm..heard he's not bad looking either."

"Forget it Rose. My father doesn't cheat on Belle. You can play Principal's Office with one of your clients."

"Damn because I'm wondering if he gives a good spanking."

"You could ask his wife," Brittany giggled.

"You two are sick. Get your minds out of the gutter although I know that's impossible since they're in them almost twenty-four hours a day!"

"We don't get paid good for being second rate," Rose declared proudly. "We're the best in the business and we really miss having our favorite protector around. Are you sure you don't wanna come back?"

"Yeah. Ummm...have you seen Alexis around. I want to talk to her, make sure she's okay."

Both women looked away.

"What?"

"She doesn't work here anymore." Rose replied.

"Did she get into singing like she said she would?"

"No...she's with Willie."

_"Willie Roasch?!_ Is she insane. She knows what the man does. How could she...?"

"We don't know Neal. The last we heard she was turning tricks down on the strip and dancing in a couple of his clubs. He's gotten more powerful now Neal and the vice cops haven't been able to touch him. Rivera, Womack and Morgan are really out to fry his ass since he _was_ one of their own."

"Yeah, The Three Stooges really go all out when they've got it in for someone. They still trying to get Beth too?"

"They can try but she has too many people in her pocket."

"I have to find her," Neal insisted.

"Neal, you go up against Roasch and you'll end up in a body bag. You know that." Brittany cautioned.

"I don't care. Alexis deserves better than that," Neal said firmly.

Brittany smiled. "Still trying to save all us lost girls, aren't you?"

"I know what it's like not to have a home."

Brittany took his hand in hers. "People look down on us for what we do but we're treated great here. The girls on the strip aren't always so lucky. Most of them end up on drugs, beaten up all the time or left for dead. And we know that when we go to our appointments we have great guys looking out for us if a customer gets out of hand. You were the best of them, Neal. It's why Alexis loved you..."

When Neal first arrived in Miami he thought he'd never be able to love anyone like he loved Emma. He wasn't even planning on it until he started working at McDermott Manor. His original job was housekeeping but one night while he was cleaning the hallway he heard a terrified scream in one of the bedrooms. He threw his weight against the door and found a young woman huddled in the corner while a man stood over her with a belt in his hand. Neal subdued the man just as the on duty security guards rushed into the room.

"What's going on, Lexie?" one of them asked the frightened woman.

"T...Tell Beth not to let him come here anymore," she pleaded.

"You were enjoying it bitch," the man sneered.

"Not from what I heard," Neal growled.

"What're you so concerned for? She's a whore! They're paid to take what I give them!"

"We have rules about what our customers are not supposed to do and you've just broken one of them," Elizabeth McDermott said icily from the doorway, having been alerted to the situation by the other guard. "Get him out of here and make sure that he understands that _NO ONE_ messes with my girls!"

"Are you okay?" Neal inquired of the frightened woman as he pulled a blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her.

"T...Thank you," she murmured.

"Neal, please take Alexis down to the infirmary."

"You mind telling me why you never mentioned this is a brothel?" he demanded angrily.

"You weren't ready to know," was her calm reply. "We'll discuss this later. My only concern is Alexis right now."

Neal lifted the woman into his arms and carried her out of the room.

"Why do you do this? You're beautiful enough that you can be anything you want to be?"

"This place is the only home I've had since I was eighteen and Beth takes good care of me. She takes good care of all of us. We'd be nothing more than rats on the street if not for her. We don't just take customers. A lot of us have legitimate jobs in the hotel too."

In many ways Beth's girls reminded him of the Lost Boys, which he himself had been at one point. A few days later he was called into Beth's office.

"I know you may not approve of what we do here Neal, but I owe you thanks for what you've done. Had you not been there I don't want to think about what would've happened to Alexis. That man passed our client screening which was why I didn't think Alexis would've been in any danger but we can't avoid a mistake like that again. I'm going to start assigning an escort to all of my girls and Alexis seems to like you. You will be responsible for taking her to her appointments and making sure she returns safely. She will be given a security pendant she can activate to call you if she needs help. Use your best judgment if you have to intervene on a session with a customer. If Alexis doesn't have an appointment scheduled I will assign you another girl but the same rules apply. My girls' lives are in your hands."

"I won't let them down." he promised.

On the nights when he didn't have to escort one of the girls to an appointment he would go down to the strip and looked at the other girls, remembering a time when he'd been on the streets like they were, hating his father for breaking their deal. Had he been a girl, this was probably where he would be...wearing tattered clothes and selling his only asset for money to live on. One night while he was on the strip he encountered a beautiful young woman dressed in a blue miniskirt and black tank top smoking a cigarette.

"Hi."

"Hi. Looking for a date?" she asked.

"Umm...yeah I guess you can say I am," he answered.

She smiled. "Then what do you say we move this conversation to a more appropriate place?"

"That sounds fine to me." he said.

She led him to a motel that looked more like the hovel he and his father lived in before Rumple turned into the Dark One. Like other girls he encountered on the strip, he would let them make their offer first before he countered with one of his own, to work in the finest house in Florida.

"My usual rate is thirty bucks an hour and I've got a few ground rules. One: no kissing. Two: no kinky shit just straight up sex. It'll cost you thirty up front for the first hour. We got a deal?"

For a monent she sounded like his father and he cringed. He reached into his wallet to get the money. Once he handed it to her, she reached into her pocket and brought out a set of handcuffs, clapping them on his wrists.

"You're under arrest," she declared and started citing off his rights while she opened the door to let a male officer in.

"He's a new one Julie," he chuckled.

"Look, this is all a misunderstanding," Neal protested.

"I think not. We've been watching you for a while. The question is: who are you procuring for? Elizabeth McDermott or Willie Roasch?"

"I'm not saying another word!" Neal hissed.

"We'll continue this discussion down at the station, cutie."

As they were leading him out another female officer walked up, also dressed like a prostitute. She looked him over, smiling in appreciation. "Wow, Julie, this is the best looking catch we've had all day."

"Thanks Vicki."

That night he'd gotten his unwanted crash course in dealing with the Miami Beach police's vice squad and the three officers every prostitute, john and drug dealer tried their best to avoid: Diego Rivera, Julianne Womack and Victoria Norris. He nicknamed them the Three Stooges. But his tangos with the vice squad hadn't taken as much of a toll on his heart as Alexis's unwillingness to let their relationship go any farther than friendship.

_I fell into Tamara's trap because she looked and acted so much like Lexie and how I wanted things to be with her. It's probably how Pan planned it. He had to have known about her and used her to get us into Neverland. He knew everything else, the bastard. _

Although he loved Tink, he knew he would never be able to leave Miami without seeing Alexis and if he could, he was going to find a way to free her and help her find a home where she belonged, even if it wasn't with him.


	6. Vegas: Royally Hung Over

"Ohhhh God my heeaaadddd," Regina moaned, covering her face with her pillow when the sun peeked through the drapes and blinded her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so drunk. When her luck at the casinos had taken a turn for the worst she and the other members of the high roller club decided to take their party to the nightclubs while the others went back to the suite. When she rolled in around five AM she was not surprised to find that Hook was awake.

"Long night, love?" he asked.

"Had a goooood time..." she slurred. "No Peter Pan, no idiots, no Emma...no you!"

"You're not going to be so cheerful later on. Trust me."

"Yeah. You know alllll about being drunk, don't you, Hooooook?"

"You really should get to bed and sleep it off."

"Y'know...I told Tink I didn't want anyone else in my life but Henry but sometimes...sometimes I miss having a man in my bed. I had one during the curse but that bitch you're with now took him away from me...and I had to kill him," she moaned. "What the hell is sooo special about her and that idiot mother of hers that all the men want her and noone wants meeeeee..."

"Regina, come on. Let's get you into bed." Hook draped her arm over his shoulders and led her up the stairs to her bedroom. She pressed herself against him, alternating between laughing and crying at the same time.

"You smell good," she murmured, nuzzling his neck. "But you're with _her_ and I hate her. I hate her! What's so damned special about her, huh? She that good in bed? I bet you are."

"Regina, keep your voice down. You don't want to wake Henry."

"Take me to one of the empty rooms...don't want him to see me like this," she pleaded.

It was a difficult trek when Regina was barely able to stand and his articifial hand wasn't all that cooperative either but he finally managed to get her settled into one of the extra bedrooms. She was going to have one hell of a hangover when she woke up later on but that didn't bother him as much as what she'd said under the influence and tried to do. Were he not devoted to Emma he would have gladly taken her up on her offer to go to bed with her. She was an attractive woman, he couldn't deny that but she needed someone who wouldn't bed her out of pity. He lay down on the sofa in the living room and drifted off to sleep only to be shaken awake by a very frantic Henry.

"Hook, where's Mom? She wasn't in our room."

"She's uhhhh...not feeling well lad so she decided to sleep in one of the other rooms til she gets better, okay?"

"Not feeling well? Regina? That's odd. I've never seen her sick," Emma mused as she joined them. "What's she have?"

"Hangover."

"Regina? Hung over? Oh, this I have to see!" Emma giggled as she dashed upstairs to the bedroom Regina now occupied. A few minutes later Henry and Hook heard Regina screaming at her to leave the room. She came back downstairs smirking. "She's gonna be having lots of dates with the Oval Office today," she joked.

"What's the Oval Office, Mom?"

"The toilet."

"Oh...okay," he muttered, deciding he didn't want to pursue the matter any further. Instead he opened up his laptop, plugged in his camera and started posting about the previous night's events on his Facebook page since he'd been so excited playing the slots that he'd forgotten.

_Hi everybody, _

_Yesterday was a busy day so I forgot to update. We met up with the friends Mom has on Facebook and they're all really nice plus they gave us lots of tips when we went to play the machines. I've been having lots of luck but Mom hasn't. I spent most of the day shopping with Hook and Mom Emma. She took us to the Cheesecake Factory and believe me they have more than just cheesecake! I picked up a lot of great gifts for everyone. Today I get to spend the day with Hook and Grandpa Charming. I hope Dad, Tink, Belle and Grandpa Rumple are having a good time in Miami. Here are some pics of our day. See you all soon! _

Later that afternoon Snow and Emma headed off to the spa.

"I think I've died and gone to Heaven," Emma murmured.

"Me too," Snow sighed.

They lay on tables side by side while their bodies were being massaged into relaxation with oils scented with rosemary for Snow and vanilla for Emma. "We should really have one of these places in Storybrooke. I'd go every day if I felt this good afterwards."

"We're getting the works today honey," Snow said with a smile.

"This is gonna cost you a fortune!" Emma cried.

"I don't care. It's worth it knowing that we can actually spend some time together without having to worry about anything."

From the moment she'd remembered the truth about her past, Emma still had trouble seperating the new best friend she had with Snow being her mother. It was impossible not to since they looked the same age. Snow was trying in every way she knew possible to help her daughter see her as the mother she'd always wanted to be to her child and spending time alone together without the worries that plagued them living in a town with magic and more heros and villians than a blockbuster movie. There weren't as many villians now yet the threat was always there. Both women were feeling relaxed and refreshed when they left the spa and decided to go to Mesa Grill for lunch.

"What do you think our boys are up to?" Emma inquired.

"David said something about taking them to the golf course."

"I don't think Hook will enjoy that. Golf's a pretty boring spot, but since it involves hitting something I bet he'd enjoy it if he imagined Rumple's face on the golf ball. He got quite a tongue lashing from Rumple over breaking my coffee table"

Snow laughed. "It did serve him right, though. That table was a gift from Neal."

"Did you guys find any shows to go to?"

"We have tickets for Jeff Dunham, Shania Twain and Celine Dion."

"Jeff Dunham I'd go to see, He's hilarious, especially when he brings out the dead terrorist...I keellllllll you!" Emma mimicked. Snow giggled.

"Oh my God...I nearly had my drink come out my nose!"

"Are there any tickets left?" Emma asked hopefully.

"No, David and I got the last two but...I'll tell you what. Why don't you and I go instead of me and him? I'm sure he won't mind. We can try to catch his show together if he comes around our neck of the woods again."

"Really?" Emma asked hopefully.

Snow took out her phone and started texting her husband. She smiled when she saw his reply.

"I told you he wouldn't mind. He said he'll do something with Hook that night."

"Great! I love Jeff Dunham!"

_I'm in hell,_ Regina thought when she finally had the strength to get out of bed later in the evening. _No more of that for me. _

"Hi Mom! Are you feeling better?" Henry asked when he, Hook and David returned to the suite.

"Yes, honey but I don't think I'm quite up to going to the casino tonight. What did you do today?"

"Grandpa took me and Hook to the golf course."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah. I beat both of them," he said proudly.

"We can take you down to the casino tonight Henry," Hook offered.

"Cool."

Emma and Snow returned an hour later, their arms loaded with bags from various stores around the casino.

"Looks like you two were busy."

"Umm, thanks for giving me your ticket for the Jeff Dunham show." Emma said to her father.

"Not a problem. You never told me you love his show."

"Oh, I do. The next time he comes around I'm taking Hook. He laughs his ass off every time I pull up Jeff's stuff on You Tube."

"I even like golf...especially when I can hit a ball thinking I'm hitting the crocodile's head."

"What did I tell you?" Emma asked Snow, smirking.

"You girls going to the casinos with us?"

"Yeah. I need to win back some of my money," Emma replied.

"You want us to get you anything while we're gone, Mom?" Henry asked Regina.

"No, I'll be fine," she assured him.

Once everyone left the suite, she called room service and ordered some apple cider and sat back on the sofa. She reached into her chest and pulled out her heart, stunned to see that the half that was only hers was no longer as black as it had been before. She found herself thinking back to that night years ago when she and Tink stood outside a pub where Tink claimed her true love was inside, a man with a lion tattoo.

_If he is still out there, I have no way of finding him unless I have a portal..or fins. And when I do find him, then what? Surely he knows who I am and what I've done. _

She recalled Rumple telling her once he'd attempted to divide his heart's essence years earlier to try to locate his lost son and failed because the dark curse had consumed too much of it for the spell to work. She'd already given most of her heart to her son and didn't believe the spell would work a second time yet she wanted to try anyway. She closed her eyes and waved her hand over her heart. When she opened them again she was stunned to see that unlike before, her heart was now divided into three pieces instead of two. The one that was merged with Henry's settled back into place while the third hovered above her. She caught it in her hand. "The man with the lion tattoo," she whispered and released her hand to allow it to take flight then returned her heart to her chest. All she could do now was wait for it to return to her merged with a piece of his or she would once again have a hole in her heart that would never be filled.

Author's Notes: I'm still debating whether to have Robin Hood pop into this but since I mentioned the hearts magic in a previous chapter, I figured I needed to show exactly what it is. You may see it being done again in a later chapter .


	7. Miami: Fried Fairy, Sharp Dressed Man

Belle opened her eyes, the delicious aroma of eggs, bacon, pancakes covered in maple syrup and French toast seducing her senses. She pulled on her robe and went downstairs to the kitchen to find her husband in the dining room, setting up the table for breakfast for four, a blue apron saying Mr Good Lookin' Is Cookin' tied around his waist to prevent any spills on his silk pajamas. The apron had been a gag gift from Neal and Tink for his birthday and he'd been a bit embarrassed about it but his wife thought it suited him.

"Why didn't you wake me? I could've helped," she said as she kissed him.

"Didn't have the heart to."

"Oh God...I'm drooling," Neal moaned when he walked into the suite with Tink behind him. "Papa, there's only four of us and you cooked enough food for an army! You have a big appetite this morning or what?"

"No, but when was the last time you and I had breakfast together?"

"A long time," his son answered. "You're going to love this Tink. Papa's a great cook."

"What are we doing today?" Belle asked.

"Since you and Tink are excited about the beach, we'll go down there first unless you and Papa have plans of your own?"

"No, we'll spend today together," his father said.

"But Papa, you need some new clothes. You can't go to the beach dressed like you just walked out of the New York Stock Exchange," Neal pointed out.

"I'm well aware of that Bae, it's just that I haven't dressed informally in...centuries."

"It's a good time to start."

Rumple tugged at the collar of the new t-shirt his son gave him feeling like he had a noose around his neck. And the shorts he was wearing showed more of his legs that he would have liked but his only consolation was that his wife didn't mind. Clasping her hand in his, he followed his son and Tinkerbell down the street to the entrance to the beach. Since it was still early there were only a few other people on the beach.

"Seashells!" Belle exclaimed and kneeled down to pick up one. "Someone suggested we bring some back. Can you hand me my bag, Rumple?"

"A lot of them are broken," he observed. "You'll want to pick up ones that are fully formed, sweetheart. Why don't we go a little bit further down the shore?"

While his father and stepmother browsed for seashells, Neal took Tink down to the water and waded in, turning his cellphone's camera on. "Me and Tink are down here in the water. We're just standing in it and it's already up around our waists and we're not that far from the shore," he narrated. "It's about...ummm...eight in the morning and already around 83 degrees." He turned the camera around. "And here's Tink."

"Hello everybody. I hope you're keeping warm up there. We just checked the weather for Maine and it says you're supposed to get some snow. Belle may love winter but I sure don't. I could live in weather like this all year around."

A large wave rose and washed over them, knocking Neal to the ground, his cellphone flying out of his hand and landing on the dry sand above them. He laughed.

"Are you okay?" Tink asked as she helped him to his feet.

"Yeah." He picked up his phone again and restarted the camera. "Just got knocked on my ass by a good wave. And there are Papa and Belle going for their morning walk. Looks like she's collecting shells. Yeah, that's Papa you're seeing without a suit on. Papa, Belle, over here!" he called out.

"Bae, what happened to you?" his father asked when they approached.

"Wave knocked me on my ass. Come on and stand in the water."

"In this?" Rumple gestured toward his clothing.

"Yeah. C'mon."

"Come on Rumple," Belle urged, taking his hand and leading him into the water where his son and Tinkerbell stood. Neal turned the camera on him.

"Say hello to everybody."

"What? Are you recording this?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah. C'mon Papa."

"Umm...hello everyone," he muttered.

"Hello everyone!" Belle greeted warmly. "We've just finished a walk along the beach and I've picked up some beautiful seashells and right now we're actually standing in the ocean and it is nice and cool. I'm so glad we came here."

The beach started getting crowded as the morning went on. Rumple set up lounge chairs with umbrellas for himself and Belle while Neal and Tink lay on a blanket.

"You two should put on some sunscreen," Rumple cautioned them.

"I'm good Papa. I tanned easily here."

"I should be fine too. I did live in a jungle for a long time." Tink assured him.

"They can't say I didn't warn them," Rumple muttered under his breath to his wife. She giggled from behind her book. Rumple glanced at the front cover and snatched it away from her.

"Give that back!" she cried.

"Ahh, now who was complaining not too long ago that she was frustrated with her reading club for wanting to make trashy novels the topic of disccusion?" he teased as he opened the book to the place where she was reading, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Do they have to spell out what people do in the privacy of their bedrooms...or in this case everywhere else but? Is this writer a voyeur?"

"Oh, what? Look at what you're reading. Filled with nothing but murder and mayhem!"

"Reminds me of the old days," he said with an evil grin.

She picked up his book and swatted him with it.

Neal and Tink watched the exchange between the other couple laughing.

"Your father is a maze of contradictions. Once he was the most feared sorcerer in all the known lands now he insists on dressing like a stockbroker and gets upset when his wife reads sexy romance novels when I thought he would have some women falling at his feet."

"He's only been involved with three women in his lifetime: my mother, Cora, and Belle but Belle's the best of them. She's turned him back into the man I remembered before it all went to hell," Neal confessed. "Better flip over Tink. You don't want to stay on one side too long or you'll be hearing Papa say I told you so when you get sunburned."

Several hours later when they returned to the hotel to change for dinner Rumple took one look at Tinkerbell when she entered their suite and scowled. "Not going to get a sunburn, eh dearie? You look like a fried lobster."

"Very funny Rumple," she grumbled.

"Maybe next time you'll listen?"

"Yes, now what am I supposed to do about this without magic? It burns and hurts like hell!"

"When we used to spend too much time in the sun in Avonlea my mother used to soothe it with aloe plants," Belle suggested.

"I used to use vinegar." Rumple "I don't know how he tans now but when Bae was younger, he'd burn like the devil because he spent so much time outdoors."

"No! Not the vinegar!" Neal cried. "I hated that and what made it worse was my friends made fun of me because I stank. I'm going to the store to get you some aloe cream Tink. Papa, don't you dare break out the vinegar or we're taking off!"

"I've got plenty here. Use it in my homemade dressing."

"Let's go Tink. Neal grabbed her arm.

She screeched as his hands touched the burned part. She nearly kicked him with her foot. "Do that again and I will kill you when we get back here!"

Although everyone loved Rumple's cooking Neal wanted them all to have dinner in the resort's restaurant and lounge and Belle was able to order the hamburger she'd been craving since they left Storybrooke. Rumple watched with stunned silence as she listed off the toppings she wanted on it. They were not what she usually ordered.

"Let me read this back so I'm sure I have it all...double patty, mozzerella cheese, provolone cheese, marinara sauce, pickles, red onions, green peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, jalapenos?" the waitress asked.

"Yes. Oh..and could you add mild pepper rings too please? I'll have some fries with nacho cheese and chili as well."

"Jesus, Belle! My stomach's turning thinking about it!" Neal exclaimed.

"Sweetheart, are you feeling all right?" Rumple inquired worriedly.

"I don't know why everyone's making such a fuss. I'm just hungry...that's all!" Belle protested. "

"We'll be making a trip to the pharmacy after dinner."

"You're gonna need a big bottle of Pepto Bismol and some antacids, Papa."

Rumple had his suspicions about what was the source of Belle's overeating and odd cravings as of late but only a test would confirm it. He didn't know how she managed it but she ate all of her multitopping double cheeseburger and chili cheese fries while he, Tink and Neal were still struggling to find room for what was on their plates. As he was trying to finish the last of his dinner, he cringed when he heard a high pitched, out of tune voice on the stage above them singing.

"What is that atrocious noise that someone thinks is singing?" he hissed.

"It's karaoke night, Papa. Random people go up on stage and try to sing their favorite songs," Neal explained. "It's fun."

"It sounds more like Robin Hood screaming when I was trying to skin him alive," Rumple whispered to Belle. She swatted him again. "Can't someone drag him off that stage and put him out of his misery? I'd gladly offer but alas...no magic here."

"I have to agree with your father on this one, Neal. That man is bloody awful!" Tink complained and began tearing pieces of her paper napkin to stuff in her ears.

"My turn," Neal said as he got out of his seat and walked onto the stage. "Andre, can you play 'Sharp Dressed Man' for me please?" he asked the deejay.

"Sure can!" Andre replied.

Neal smiled and moved toward the front of the stage and glanced down at his father and Belle. "I'd like to dedicate this song to my father. If you know the words, sing along with me...especially the ladies. You should know when," he added with a wink. "And forgive me if I don't sound like ZZ Top but I'm gonna try!"

"Bae, what are you doing?" Rumple asked nervously.

"I don't know but I'm getting the phone ready to record it," Tink said as she reached into her purse and set her phone to record as Neal started singing the first verse of the song when he came down from the stage holding the microphone while he stood in front of his father.

"Clean shirt, new shoes

And I don't know where I am goin' to.

Silk suit, black tie,

I don't need a reason why.

They come runnin' just as fast as they can

Coz.." he shouted out and pointed at the women in the audience

"Every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man!" they all sang back and cheered as they pointed at Rumple, the only man in the room wearing a three piece suit. Belle buried her face in her husband's shoulder and giggled while he looked like he wanted to crawl under the table but the torture was not yet over. Neal launched into the second and third verses, changing the third when it came to the final lines, standing behind Belle as he did so.

"Looking sharp, looking for love

She comes running just as fast as she can...coz..?." he handed the microphone to Belle.

"I'm a girl crazy bout my sharp dressed man!" she sang as she hopped onto her husband's lap, cupped his face in her hands and kissed him amongst a barrage of catcalls and wolf whistles from the other patrons of the club.

"He's older than dirt and she's fucking hot. Lucky son of a bitch!" a man yelled enviously.

"Whooo Hooo...you get him, honey!" one of the women encouraged.

Tink was clutching her belly as she laughed. "I can't believe you did that, Neal! Your father is going to kill you!"

"He's got his hands too full at the moment," Neal said indicating his father and Belle whose make out session was getting a bit heated.

"Let's go up to bed," Belle whispered as they broke their kiss.

"Bae..."

"Night, Papa though I doubt you'll be doing much sleeping," Neal teased while Tink laughed.

Rumple rose from his chair and held out his free hand for his wife's. As they were walking out of the club they could hear several people talking about them.

"Gotta be because he's rich."

"Don't give a damn how old he is, I'd still go to bed with him!"

"Ten bucks says that's where they're going now!"

Rumple rolled his eyes. There were some incredibly outspoken people in this town. His only consolation was that none of the men in the club had dared to approach Belle or they would get the beating of their lives with his cane. The drunkard Sheriff of Nottingham was now in hiding after their last encounter and Whale kept his eyes lowered every time Belle came anywhere near him. He'd assumed Belle had no memory of the time when she was Lacey but she did and she was horrified by how she'd acted especially when by doing so she encouraged him to be at his worst. Belle groaned with disappointment when they stopped at one of the shops instead of getting into the elevator and returning to their room.

"Rumple I do not need that Pepto Bismol. I'm fine!" she insisted then leaned in and started nibbling on his earlobe. "What I do need is you naked in our bed..." she purred.

"Belle, sweetheart, we'll get there, but I do need to get something."

"You've got five minutes or we're not even going to make it upstairs," she warned.

At first he feared her Lacey personality had returned but then he quickly remembered that Lacey never wanted him in that way. She was more interested in alcohol, material possessions and watching him terrorize half of Storybrooke. He quickly paid for his purchase and they returned to their room.

"Would you mind telling me what you needed to get?" she asked once the door shut behind them. He reached into the bag and handed her a box. She squealed with delight and threw her arms around him.

"Oh, Rumple! Will this tell us for certain?"

"There's only one way to find out, sweetheart. Just read the instructions and come out when you're done."

He paced the floor nervously while she was in the bathroom. There was one way he would have the answer he needed and cursed not having his magic to be able to do so. Those tests had a habit of being inaccurate. Then he remembered something that Regina told him after she'd been abducted by Greg and Tamara. They'd seen magic in places other than Storybrooke. If it was possible...

_I need to know for certain. I won't let Belle be disappointed again. I don't want to be disappointed again. _

The first she'd suspected she was pregnant was immediately after their wedding. It had turned out to be a false alarm and they were both devastated. Belle began to fear there was something wrong with her while he blamed himself and felt the gods were punishing him further for his deeds as the Dark One. Concentrating hard he pushed his hand against his chest and felt it reaching in to where his heart rested. He pulled gently and his heart still without any traces of darkness in it lay in his hand.

"Rumple, what are you doing?" Belle cried out as she emerged from the bathroom with the test strip in her hand.

"I'm sorry sweetheart. Those things have been known to be wrong. This is the only way we'll know for certain and I would never pull yours out."

"But I thought you couldn't use magic outside of Storybrooke."

"It looks like now I can," he murmured and closed his eyes as he recited the spell that would once again divide his heart's essence. He waved his hand over the glowing, beating organ and felt it dividing.

"Rumple...how many pieces did your heart divide into when you performed the spell in Pandora's Box?" Belle asked softly as she gazed at the glowing pieces that hovered above his hand.

"Four...one that stays with me, one that is part you and me, one that is Bae and me, one that is Henry and me. They should all be red and if there's a piece that needs claimed it should be white."

"Rumple..." she said her voice cracking. "Look."

He opened his eyes to find that his heart was now divided into five pieces, with a very small one glowing white. His free hand was trembling as he caught the small piece within it. "Show me who you're meant for," he instructed and opened his hand. The small orb floated downward until it was hovering over Belle's abdomen then vanished. It emerged minutes later glowing a deep red then floated back into his hand where it joined the others to reform a complete heart. With tears in his brown eyes he inserted the heart back into his chest and saw the face of a girl with eyes as blue as her mother's and the same rich brown hair vor at least it would what she looked like a in a few years. "Sweetheart, we're having a daughter," he croaked.

Belle burst into tears and threw herself into his arms. "We've done it...we've finally done it!" she sobbed and cupped his face in her hands, kissing him passionately. "I love you!"

"And I love you, my darling Belle."

Belle grabbed his cellphone out his pocket and sent a message to Neal.

_You're going to have a sister. _

Five minutes later Neal and Tinkerbell burst through the doors to their suite.

"Papa! Are you sure?" he demanded.

"We're sure," Belle said through her tears as she held up the test strip. "We were going to use this but Rumple wasn't sure it would be right so he found a way that would tell him without any doubt."

"_How_?" Neal and Tink asked in unison.

"My heart," he said softly as he pressed his hand against his chest. "I now have five pieces instead of four."

"You can't perform the division spell without magic," Tink reminded him.

"He can use magic here." Belle said.

"_You can_?"

"It looks like we both can. And if I were you Tinkerbell, I'd use it to take care of that sunburn unless you want to have a difficult night's sleep," Rumple joked.

"Oh, who gives a damn about it now...congratulations!" she cried as she and Neal embraced the expecting parents, Neal in tears himself because he knew how much having another baby meant to his father and Belle after all they'd been through. This baby would grow up differently than he did. It should have made him feel jealous. It should have made him angry yet it didn't because he knew he would love his new sister as much as her parents would. He would spoil her rotten...then send her home for them to deal with.

"I'm calling room service and telling them to send up the finest champagne they've got. We're celebrating!" Neal announced.

_Helloooooo Storybrooke! _

_It's been a very BIG day here for us. We spent most of the day on the beach. I've just uploaded some vids for your amusement and yes that is my father in something other than a suit and tie. He needs to dress down more often. Tink got a bad sunburn and Papa got to say I told you so since he did tell us to wear sunblock. Later on we went to the club and I sang some karaoke. I stink at it but it was fun as you can see. But the highlight of the night was when I got a text from Belle with some news. I'm going to have a sister! And to end this post of the evening, here is a picture of the expecting parents. Congrats Papa and Belle. We love you! _

_Hello everyone, _

_ Yes it's true...WE'RE HAVING A BABY! I'm in tears as I write this because it's been a dream of mine for so long for have a child to make Rumple's and my love complete and for the longest time we were afraid it was never going to happen...but it has and right now I feel like I'm floating on air. And Neal and Tink have been so wonderful during all this, Neal most of all. I know this must feel odd to him but Rumple and I will never let him feel less loved than his sister. We love both of them equally. And Neal is like a son to me despite being older than me. We will see all of you soon. _

Author's Note: I got the apron idea from a pic floating around the internet with Robert C as Mr. Gold wearing it. Also I got the wave incident and video diary of the beach idea from my own trip to Florida last year…as well as the bad sunburn.


	8. Miami: Casa Miranda

Author's Notes: I was originally planning on making the next chapter a Vegas one but after having our hearts shattered in the mid season finale, I feel we of the Rumbelle fandom need every comfort we can find until someone explains what the hell happened so I posted the Miami chapter first. Also, it's been a while since I've spoken and written in Spanish so I apologize in advance for any linguistic errors.

Neal awoke the next morning feeling like a there was a band marching across his head. While his father only had a glass or two, he'd drunk everyone under the table and passed out on the sofa in Rumple and Belle's suite while a furious Tinkerbell went back to theirs.

"I could cure that hangover with a little magic Bae but I don't think I will," he heard his father say as he stood beside the sofa grinning down at him. "Just so you learn a lesson in moderation."

"I'm gonna get punished enough when Tink gets up," he moaned. "Besides, we were celebrating. We need to have a guys night out. Just you and me..but not tonight. Tonight is date night."

"Date night?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna take Tink somewhere nice and you can take Belle somewhere nice."

"Bae, I wouldn't know where to go," Rumple protested.

"You could ask Lanie or Beth," Neal suggested.

Rumple scowled. The idea of asking the tart who'd mocked his name anything left a bitter taste in his mouth but he wanted to take his wife to a fine restaurant as he wanted to do back in Storybrooke but the only place she wanted to go was to Granny's for her hamburgers. Still, he was willing to put his bitterness aside and ask the tart...if she was willing to cooperate that is.

"Ask them what...oh Neal...you look terrible! Are you feeling all right?" Belle inquired when she joined them.

"Oh, he just has a bit of a hangover." his father replied. "He was suggesting I ask Beth or Lanie where to take you this evening for dinner but I don't relish the idea of asking that tart Lanie."

"Why don't I do the asking?" Belle suggested. She also wanted another woman's opinion on a different matter. She kissed her husband, grabbed her room key card and headed down to the lobby before he even had a chance to say anything. She found Beth McDermott at the front desk.

"Mrs. Gold, is something wrong?"

"No, no. I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time."

"Of course. I'll have Lanie watch the desk and we'll go to the cafe. Now then," she said when they were sitting the cafe sipping cups of hot tea. "what's on your mind?"

"My husband would like to take me somewhere special for dinner this evening. Umm...since we're new to the area we have no idea where to go."

"If you're looking to have a romantic dinner, I would suggest Casa Miranda. Jimmy knows where it is."

"We'll go there, then and...I want to wear something equally special. Something...something..."

"Something that will leave him speechless," Beth finished. "I think we have the dress you're looking for in the shop. I must say, I'm a bit surprised."

"About what?"

Beth sighed. "I was married to a man much older than me for ten years. We got married when I was eighteen...and he's fifteen years older than me. Ummm...six months before the wedding I ahhh...met the man who is now my second husband. He and I are only six years apart and Jason, that's my first husband, was off on a tour with his band so I was around Jamie, my second husband, a lot more during that time and I started feeling like he knew me better than Jason did. But...I married Jason anyway but around our tenth anniversary I realized I was miserable because I was trying so damned hard to be what _he_ wanted me to be, not be myself and I had to leave him."

"Rumple isn't like that," Belle argued. "We've been through hell and back over the years but our love is strong." She reached around her neck and unfastened the necklace she was wearing and handed it to the other woman."

"It's a little teacup with a chip on it," Beth said.

"We've always considered this our talisman," Belle said with a dreamy smile. "I was originally his housekeeper and on the first day I dropped a teacup after he made a joke that shocked me and I chipped it. I thought he was going to get rid of me right then and there but he didn't seem bothered by it. When he drink his tea from that day on, he always used that cup. Then something happened and we got...separated for a long time. He thought I was dead and he kept that cup with a chip in it to remember me by and when he proposed to me, he didn't do it with a ring. Instead, he asked me while holding this, a necklace he made himself."

She could still remember that day as if it happened yesterday. It was the day after he'd defeated Pan and aged Wendy with Blue's help but the spell they'd performed left him weakened to the point where he could barely get out of bed. She cared for him herself despite his protests and while she was downstairs in the kitchen preparing his lunch she felt through their bond that he was trying to use magic. She left his lunch tray on the counter and headed up the stairs determined to give him a piece of her mind and found him sitting up on the side of the bed holding something in his hand.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" she snapped. "Kill yourself?! You know you shouldn't be using magic yet! What do I have to do to make you listen? You stay in that bed until I say you can get up and NO MAGIC!"

"It was a simple spell," he protested.

"For what? What may I ask is so damned important that it can't wait until you're recovered?"

He opened his palm revealing a gold chain with a small object on it. "Well most men do this on their knees and with a diamond ring but I'm not most men..and I'm not allowed to get out of bed," he added. "I told you before the only future I was interested in was the one where we were together. I still am." He held the necklace out to her. "Will you marry me, Belle?"

"Yes," she whispered, taking the chain in her hands. "Ohhhh...you made me a mini chipped cup!"

"Umm...about that...well...it is the cup, my sweetheart," he said nervously.

"You shrunk it? That's what you used magic for?"

"Yes." He braced himself for her anger. Instead she threw her arms aound him and kissed him.

"Don't use any more. The sooner you get better, the sooner we can be married."

Beth handed the necklace back to Belle and she refastened it around her neck. "He was very ill at the time so you can imagine my surprise when he gave me this."

"Not many men would be able to do that. My Jamie is a baby when he's sick and it annoys me to no end even though I love him."

"My Rumple...well...he's always been a stubborn man, worse when he's ill or hurt. He hates feeling helpless."

"I'd rather take care of a stubborn sick man than one who milks it for all its worth," Beth muttered. "Come on. Let's find you a dress that will make your Rumple speechless."

As per Beth's suggestion, Belle's outfit for the evening was a blue satin dress with a short flowing skirt and spaghetti straps and a pair of silver medium sized heeled shoes. Once her husband caught a glimpse of her, he found himself unable to speak for at least two minutes just as she'd planned. As always he wore one of his trademark black three piece suits but his silk shirt was the same shade of blue of her gown.

Rumple linked her arm in his as they stepped out of the elevator and walked out to the archway where Jimmy waited beside the limo.

"Where to this evening, Mr. Gold?" he asked.

"Beth recommended Casa Miranda. Do you know where it is?" he replied.

He smiled. " I certainly do. Climb in and I'll tell you a little bit about it along the way."

"Thank you Jimmy."

Once Rumple and Belle were sitting the back of the car, Jimmy lowered the dividing window and started the car. "Casa Miranda is a Latin themed club mostly for couples and the owner, Miranda Santanna came here from Cuba years ago like a lot of people from there did once Castro took over. She has a lot of good food and the entertainment is some of the best in the beach. It's mostly Latin singers with her being the best of them. And you can dance your feet off all night long."

"I can't unfortunately," Rumple said, indicating his leg. He would have used a spell to heal it temporarily but didn't want to attact attention and wasn't certain of the physical price it would cost him.

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that, Mr. Gold," Jimmy teased. "Miranda's gotten people like you who have trouble walking on the dance floor. Don't know how she does it. I think she teaches them steps that make it easier for them."

"That would be wonderful, Rumple," Belle said softly.

He smiled. "Well then, I may just have to ask her about it."

"And here we are...Casa Miranda!" Jimmy announced while he pulled the car into the parking lot and opened the door for his passengers. Rumple stepped out first and held out his hand for his wife. As soon as they entered the building a young woman approached them.

"Bienvenidos a Casa Miranda, donde mi casa es su casa. Me llama Terrina."

"Buenos tardes Terrina. Me llamo Rumplestiltskin Gold y esta es mi esposa Belle," Rumple replied in flawless Spanish.

"Ah habla Espanol!"

"Si."

"Right this way."

"How did you do that?" Belle asked.

"What, dearie?"

"Understand what she said and then answer her in her own language."

"It was one of the abilities I accquired being the Dark One and still had being cursed. I can speak at least seven different languages."

"I'd like to learn another language."

Terrina handed them their menus once they were seated. One part of the menu was written entirely in Spanish while the other half contained the English translations. Rumple ordered wine for both of them to start while they studied the menu. The only fine dining they'd done since their reunion was at Granny's Diner while it was satisfying for Belle, he wished there were more fine dining establishments like the ones they'd been visiting in Miami in Storybrooke and since they now knew for certain that Belle was pregnant, he only wanted her to eat healthy foods.

"Are you ready to order?" their server inquired.

"Yes," Rumple said and recited the orders they'd agreed on. "Oh, and if you would please bring me a glass of your finest wine."

"And you, Mrs. Gold?"

"I won't be having any. I'm...expecting. But I will have an iced tea," she replied, blushing.

"Congratulations! Your first child?"

"Mine yes, this will be my husband's second."

"Well then what a perfect way to celebrate. Have you been married long?"

"Six months...this trip is a vacation and a honeymoon."

"Wonderful. My name is Jess and if you need anything just let me know."

"Thank you, Jess."

"I have to say Rumple, this has been one of the best places we've been so far," Belle confessed. "Aside from our suite that is."

"Jimmy did say this was mostly a couples club and looking around I'd say its mostly for older couples while the places Bae has been dragging us to are more for people your age."

"Like The Rabbit Hole...I never want to see that place again," she muttered. "The things I did as that awful Lacey...how I treated you..."

"That's over now, sweetheart and we never have to worry about it happening again. As for that vile joint, I'll never step foot in it again either even if they do owe me rent."

Their orders arrived twenty minutes later only they weren't being served by Jess. Their new server was a female around Rumple's age. She set the plates down in front of the couple and smiled.

"Bienvenidos a Casa Miranda Senor y Senora Gold. Me llama Miranda Santanna," she greeted in Spanish although hers had more of an accent because it was her primary language.

"Buenos tardes Senora Santanna," Rumple greeted. "To what do we owe the pleasure of having you as our server?"

"Jess tells me your evening here is a celebration both of your marriage and a new child on the way," Miranda answered. "Also I prefer to get to know all of my customers on a personal level. How are you enjoying Florida so far?"

"It's more beautiful than I could ever have imagined," Belle confessed.

"It's been interesting," her husband agreed.

"Where are you from originally if I may ask?"

"A small town in Maine called Storybrooke," Rumple answered. "A lot of us are...well...fascinated with fairy tales, hence why my first name is Rumplestiltskin but I go by Rumple."

"Querido, do you think you are the only person who has come in here with an unusual name? Having a unique name only makes you a more unique person. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Oh, I'm not but I tend to get a bit...upset when someone mocks me. I treat every person's name as being important."

"Well, I'll leave you to enjoy your dinner but we'll talk more later, yes?"

"I'd like that."

"She sounds very nice," Belle observed.

"That she does, my sweetheart." Rumple agreed.

Their dinners were excellent as Jimmy had assured them they would be and Jess made frequent stops to their table either to collect the dishes or refill their drinks. Rumple had one glass of wine with his dinner then switched to water, not wanting to repeat his son's mistake of getting drunk. He wanted to be able to remember every minute of their evening together.

"Where did Neal take Tinkerbell?" Belle inquired of her husband.

"He didn't say but I suspect its one of those night clubs he frequented while he lived here. No matter. Have I told you how beautiful you look in that dress?"

"No but being speechless for two minutes tells me you like it," she murmured. "Beth picked it out for me."

"She has amazing taste. I take it you and she had a woman's talk?"

"She was telling me about her first marriage and how unhappy it was. She thought ours was going to be like that."

"Well it's not," he insisted. "And what else did you talk about?" he teased.

"How some men are absolute beasts when they're ill or act like babies."

He laughed. "Well I don't need to guess which category I fall into now. Years ago I would have been one of those ones who acted like a baby and you would've wanted to toss me over the Troll Bridge."

Jess cleared the last of the dishes from their table and gave it a quick wipe down with her towel. Other couples had already finished their dinners and were now standing on the dance floor. The stage lights came on and a band started playing.

"Why aren't you dancing?" Miranda asked as she approached their table. Rumple gestured to his leg. "Come, I'll teach you to salsa the Miranda Santanna way."

She led the couple out to the dance floor, patiently guiding them through the steps to make them easier for Rumple to do on his disabled leg with very little discomfort. "There you go!" Miranda said cheerfully.

A small crowd gathered around them, clapping. Belle smiled and kissed her husband softly. "I've been wanting to do this a long time," she murmured. They spun around slowly to thank their instructor but she disappeared. Minutes later she was standing on the stage and began singing a slow love song in Spanish. Belle closed her eyes and rested her head on Rumple's shoulder. His leg ached worse as the night went on but he didn't give a damn if it hurt for a week when it put a smile on his wife's face to be held in his arms while they danced the rest of the evening away.

They were both sleepy when they walked out to the parking out where Jimmy waited and drifted off once they were sitting in the back of the limosuine, Belle curled up at her husband's side, only waking up after Jimmy gently shook Rumple's shoulder.

"I take it you had a good time, Mr. Gold?"

"Yes we did."

"It was one of the best nights of my life," Belle whispered.

"Well you two have a good night."

Belle noticed that Rumple's limp was more pronounced when they returned to their suite. "Oh, darling I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me it was hurting that much?"

"Didn't give a damn that it was," he said as he changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed. "Besides, it was worth it. It was well worth it." he murmured as he closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.

"I love you, Rumplestiltskin." She kissed him again then sat down at the desk and turned on her laptop.

_Hello everyone, _

_Tonight was date night. I'm sure you'll hear about Neal and Tink's evening on his Facebook page. Rumple and I went to a lovely Latin themed club called Casa Miranda. The food and service there was excellent but what made the evening all the more special was Rumple and I dancing for the first time. The club's owner, a kind lady named Miranda Santanna took time to show us how to dance the way they do in her country in a simple way so that Rumple wouldn't be in much pain from his leg. One of the other couples was kind enough to take a video for us and sent it to my phone. You'll find it at the bottom of my post along with some pictures of the club. I would love to go there again before we leave. I do miss all of you but I'm loving every moment of this new journey we're on. _

Belle turned off her laptop and slipped into bed beside her husband, kissing him once more before she too drifted off.


	9. Vegas: Insane Talking Puppets

While Regina's luck at the casino seemed to be practically nonexistent, Hook's was thriving. In fact his was the _only_ luck thriving. He could feel the others glaring at him with envy as he won jackpot after jackpot determined to build up his nest egg so that no one would ever accuse him of mooching off Emma again. He did still have a chest of gold left over from his pirating days that was dwindling rapidly as he gave in to the pleasures living in a place like Storybrooke offered him, having to pay a crocodile to replace an antique coffee table he pounded his fist into during a fit of rage and having to help pay back Regina for his and Emma's expenses during their trip.

Being on vacation also allowed him to bond with Henry. Emma made it quite clear before they even ventured into a serious relationship that Henry would always come first in her mind and if he wanted to stay in her life, he would have to have Henry's approval. The boy seemed to like him although most of the time they'd spent together was devoted to trying to stop the crocodile's insane father from trying to kill them all. He didn't miss the evil little bastard and having a dagger put in him by his own son was fitting justice. Being outside of Storybrooke and having no enemies to exterminate would make bonding time much easier.

Hook rose early as he always did and started up his laptop. He played the slot machines for an hour or two every morning to pass the time until the others got up but he also checked to see if there were any updates from Neal in Miami. He laughed as he watched Neal fall on his ass after getting hit by a wave and the crocodile squirming while he had to pose for the camera. Soon he was the one squirming when he read the post accompanying it announcing that the beauty the crocodile was married to was now pregnant with a lass. He hoped the baby inherited her mother's looks, not his.

"Whatcha doin" Hook?" Henry asked when he entered the living room.

"Oh just playing the slots and checking your dad's Facebook page. Have you seen it yet?"

"No. Can I look?"

"Sure." Hook turned the laptop so that he and the boy could look at the screen together.

"Grandpa and Belle are having a baby! That is so cool. I gotta go tell everyone!" Henry exclaimed and dashed out of the living room and up the stairs frantically pounding on doors and waking the others out of a deep sleep.

"Where's the fire, kid?" Emma groaned when he burst into her room.

"Grandpa Rumple and Belle are having a baby!"

"Oh...that's nice," she muttered and turned over to fall back to sleep.

He then ran into his and Regina's room. "Mom, guess what? Grandpa Rumple's having a baby!"

"_He's_ having the baby? Did one of his magic experiments go wrong?" she chuckled as she sipped her apple cider and read the morning paper.

"No, not _him._ Belle. Belle's having the baby."

"Then that will be your uncle...or aunt."

"Belle's post said she was having a girl."

"How does your father feel about this?"

"He's happy. I gotta go tell Grandpa and Gramma."

"Henry...do me a favor and ask before you go barging in. Please."

"Umm...okay."

_God forbid he goes through that door and finds them at it again. Emma and I are NOT covering for them this time._

"Henry, what's going on?" David asked from behind their closed bedroom door.

"Grandpa Rumple and Belle are having a baby!" he announced. The couple quickly dressed and opened the door.

"That's wonderful!" Snow cried. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Dad said about it on his Facebook page and Belle confirmed it on hers."

"Looks like we have some celebrating to do," David said as they entered the living room.

"Count me out," Hook muttered. "Look, the crocodile is not my favorite person, okay! I'm happy for his lass but don't give a damn if he is."

"If you still want to be a part of this family you better learn to make peace with him," David threatened. "We understand each other? I'll take the silence as a yes."

Keeping in mind one of his primary goals as he made his fortune in the casinos, Hook reluctantly agreed to Davids request and held his tongue...for now.

"What are we all doing today, Mom?" Henry asked Regina.

"Well, Emma and Snow have tickets to the Jeff Dunham show tonight. I don't know what these two have planned," she said indicating Hook and David.

"We're going to probably have a guys night so Henry's all yours Regina." David answered.

"Mom, we need to win back some serious money!" Henry exclaimed.

Regina laughed. "Yes, my luck hasn't been very good but I'm not done trying. I'll have those riches yet."

Emma and Snow were barely able to contain their excitement as they waited for Jeff Dunham's show to start.

"There he is!" she cried when Jeff reached into the box and brought out the skeletal puppet Achmed The Dead Terrorist. Snow glanced over at her daughter, beaming with pride. Emma looked like a child on Christmas Day and she was all the more pleased that David decided to give his ticket to his daughter so that she could enjoy the show live instead of on a DVD.

"Greetings Vegas infidels!" he shouted.

Emma was on cloud nine. The last six months she had with her family were the best of her life and what made it even better was that she could finally take a day off from being the Savior. There hadn't been any reports of crazed magic haters in town or villians from other lands crawling out of the woodwork. Most of the messages she received were from people asking her how she was enjoying the outside world, forgetting that she'd lived in it the entire time the curse was active.

"Silence...I kill you!" the puppet screeched at his master. Emma howled with laughter. She'd been waiting to hear Achmed's signature line all evening. She'd been saying something to Snow when the puppet looked in her direction since she was in the front row.

"Silence blond infidel...I kill you!"

Snow giggled.

"I kill you too bowl haired infidel!"

"Bowl haired...oh my God...I'm gonna piss myself!"

"Please tell me you got that!" Snow whispered urgently.

"I got it..I got it!" she assured her. it hadn't been easy to sneak her cellphone into the event but she'd managed it and turned it on record before the show started. She couldn't wait to play it back for everyone back at the hotel.

Regina was sitting at one of the poker tables with several of her high roller colleagues and Henry who was still under the illusion spell. Several of them wanted to become skilled enough to compete in the World Series of Poker and there were a few that were participating in tournaments. They had a choice of playing Three Card Poker, Crazy Four Poker, Let It Ride, Mississippi Stud, Texas Hold Em and Ultimate Texas Hold Em. Regina had seen variants of each game back in the Enchanted Forest when her husband played them and she learned the new rules from her friends. She then taught Henry. Her son was doing well, having won several large pots mostly due to his ability to get the other players to fold their hands even when he didn't have anything higher than a pair. Bluffing his opponents had become his superpower as being able to tell when someone was lying was Emma's which was why he never played against her.

As Regina stared down at her own hand she smiled. Up until that point she had been forced to fold many of her hands. One lesson she learned from Leopold that she'd never forgotten was to never bet unless you had a pair or something higher in the hole. She moved a large pile of chips into the center of the table and announced her bet amount, anxiously awaiting the response from her tablemates. Two players, thinking their hands were higher, agreed to her bet, one raising it. She flipped her cards over to reveal a full house of aces and queens while her first opponent had a straight. The other also had a full house that included the queens.

"Regina is the winner with Aces over queens!"

"Great job, Mom!" Henry whispered.

Hook and David were spending their evening at Cleopatra's Barge. The club itself was a replica of the famous barge that Queen Cleopatra sailed on during her trips down the Nile River floating on water. In many ways it reminded the former pirate captain of the Jolly Roger. He insisted on paying for all their drinks despite David's protests.

There were quite a few women who approached them and asked them to dance but when they started turning them down, one asked them if they were actually a couple.

"Not a chance in hell love," Hook said. "He's not my type."

David laughed. "Well you're not mine either. I'm married."

"Well your wife's not here," one girl reminded him. "It's just a dance."

"No, thank you."

They lost count of how many drinks they had. Suddenly Hook climbed on top of the bar and started shouting out commands as if he were back on the Jolly Roger.

"Ummm...Hook...we're not on the Jolly Roger...we're in a bar...in Vegas...remember?"

"Regina, do your magic thing and trap the shadow on the sail so we can get the hell out of Neverland," Hook slurred. Other patrons watched the spectacle with interest. It was more fun than anything else they'd ever seen.

"He thinks he's the real Captain Hook," one of them remarked.

"Yeah, so where's the long wig and hat?"

"Sir," the bartender pleaded. ""Please come down from there."

"I'm the captain of this ship mate and anyone who tries to usurp my authority walks the bloody plank!" he threatened.

Caught up in the act, other drunk patrons started singing "A Pirate's Life For Me" while the bar staff was trying to figure out what to do with a man who thought he was a pirate. His friend was trying to get him to get off the bar with no success since he was just as drunk.

"Hook, you gotta come down off there before they call the cops," David pleaded. "And Emma's not going to be happy if you get arrested."

At the mention of Emma's name, the former pirate jumped down off the bar. "Sorry...dunno what came over me...this should cover the damage," he muttered as he tossed a wad of bills at the bartender and he and David staggered out of the bar. When they departed so did half the business for the club that night. Meanwhile David and Hook were wondering if they would need to make their funeral arrangements once the women found out what transpired at the bar.

_Hi everybody, _

_It's been a fun night for everyone here. Me and Mom won big at the poker tables tonight so I think we might be playing it more than the slots. Grandpa and Hook got in a little trouble down at the Floating Lounge because Hook tried to sail it like a ship but everything's okay now. Mom Emma and Grandma Snow went to see Jeff Dunham and Achmed the Dead Terrorist actually picked on them! It was hilarious. Mom Emma snuck her phone in so I'm posting the vid she made. You can only see the inside of her coat but you can hear Achmed good. _

Author's Notes: Brace yourselves dearies, things in Miami are about to heat up!


	10. Miami: What a Beautiful Brawl!

As Rumple feared, his son's idea of a guys' night out was in a bar similar to the vile Rabbit Hole, only this one was called The Featherhead. The moment he stepped through the doors he knew he looked terribly out of place dressed in his pin striped suit while his son and everyone else wore casual clothes yet he would keep his thoughts to himself since he wanted to have this time alone with his son. They sat at a table in the corner of the room and ordered their drinks.

"How did date night go?"

"Very well. I must thank Beth for recommending Casa Miranda. Belle loved it. Where did you take Tink?"

"The Olive Garden...oh Holy Jesus!" Neal moaned.

"What is it son?" Rumple asked worriedly.

Neal glared over at two men who were sitting in a booth at the opposite end of the bar with a scantily clad woman between them, her body swaying from side to side as if she were dizzy.

"Papa, stay here. I gotta go take care of that."

"Now wait a minute Bae..." Rumple protested.

"Channon, what the hell are you doing?" Neal demanded when he approached the booth. The woman looked up at him and laughed.

"So you arreee back in town," she slurred. "You wanna join in Neal?"

"Come on, you need to get home." he said as he reached for her arm.

"'Cuse me pal but she goes home with us," one of the men said and shoved him away.

"I've seen her drunk before and she's never looked that bad. What'd you put in her drink?"

"Nothing," the other answered.

"You lying sacks of shit." he snarled as he reached into one's coat pocket and produced a packet of pills. "Son of a bitch!"

The man swung his fist and punched Neal in the face. Seconds later something came crashing down on his head. He fell to the floor with a furious Rumple standing over him, his cane raised to strike again.

"Touch my son one more time, dearie and you won't have a brain left to think about doing it again." he snarled.

"You wanna fight, old man. Let's go!" his companion challenged. Rumple swung his cane again and struck the other man in the chest. As he was about to charge, Rumple swung it again and struck the side of his face.

"Papa! Papa! We gotta get out of here before the cops show up!" Neal cried, franticallly tugging on his father's arm. "You too Channon! Get your ass moving!"

"Bae..._will you slow down! You know I can't run!"_ Rumple gasped as his leg throbbed with pain. "Goddammit..wait for me!" he snarled, trying his best to keep up with Neal who was running like he was in a marathon. "I..._Bae what are you doing?"_

"Sorry Papa. Got no choice," Neal said as he hefted his protesting father over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and ran out of the club to the parking lot where Jimmy waited, Channon following suit as best she could.

"Jimmy get in and floor it!" he called out as he opened the car door and dumped his still outraged father on the seat facing the trunk and pushing Channon in after him.

"Now this is a very nice spot!" she giggled as she found herself with her head in the older man's lap. "You wanna be _my_ sugar daddy?"

"Excuse me?" Rumple asked. "What in the hell is a sugar daddy?"

"Jesus Christ Neal, what the hell did you do this time!?" Jimmy demanded.

"Never mind that just _drive!"_ Neal ordered.

"I'm getting too old for this shit," Jimmy muttered, starting up the car and speeding off in the opposite direction while a group of police cars surrounded the club. Rumple leaned back in the car seat groaning as the pain grew worse.

"Are you okay, Papa?" Neal asked worriedly as he sat down in the opposite seat.

"Do I _look_ like I am!" Rumple seethed. "My leg hurts like the devil and we were running out of there like bats out of hell and a half naked drunk woman's head in my lap! Now, do you want to tell me why you want to avoid the police and who this girl is? All we would have needed to do was explain the situation. Those men started the fight. It was self defense, pure and simple."

"Trust me when I tell you even if we had a hundred witnesses, the Miami Beach cops wouldn't believe a damned thing I tell them."

"Again: do you mind telling me _why?"_

"I will soon Papa. We have to get you back to the hotel and in bed right now and she needs to sleep it off."

"We're not done, Bae. I want an answer!" Rumple shouted.

"Papa, I promise I'll tell you but let's get you taken care of first."

"You're picking up my bad...habits...avoiding the issue," Rumple murmured. "Madam, do you mind?!" he gasped as he pulled Channon's hands away from the buttons on his vest and forced her to sit up.

"Been a while since I've had a threesome...or done it in a limo.." she murmured as she reached for Rumple's vest again. He swatted her hands away.

"Channon, cut it out!" Neal yelled.

"What? Not like _we_ haven't done it before and I'm sure your daddy is as good in bed as you are."

"Bae! Did you have...relations with this girl? Dammit, will you keep your hands to yourself!" he growled, this time swatting her hands away from his lap.

"Was a long time ago, Papa."

"Thank goodness for small...Bae, will you please do something with her!" Rumple pushed her hands away again.

"I can tell you what I want _you_ to do to _me_," she cooed.

"Enough of this," he grumbled and waved his hand over her, casting a sleeping spell.

Back at the club while other officers were questioning the remaining patrons about the fight, the bartender walked outside to an unmarked car that was parked down the street. The window was rolled down and a man poked his head out.

"Thanks for the call Benitez. Are you sure it was Neal Cassidy?" he asked.

"He's got the knife scar and looks the same as the mugshot we have on file from Womack's bust. You call Morgan? She'll want in on this too."

"Julie did. What's he doing back here now though?"

"Dunno but he's got someone with him...male, early 50s brown eyes, shoulder length brown hair streaked with gray, walks with a limp. Tough old bastard too. Took out two guys with his cane. New boss maybe?"

"Could be. I'm going to talk to the lieutenant and see if he wants us to restart surveillance on him. Once Roasch finds out he's here he might want to put him back in his old job there or shop around for Elizabeth McDermott again. Either way he goes, we're taking McDermott and Roasch down along with him." the other man vowed.

"I'll keep you posted. Happy hunting, Rivera."

Diego Rivera reached into the glove compartment and took out a faded photograph.

"It's almost over Mom," he said softly. "I'm gonna bring that son of bitch Cassidy in and make him tell me what they did to you and then I'll bring you home."

A second call was made from the club, this time to a different number.

"This better be important," came an impatient voice on the line.

"Our old delivery boy is back."

"We've had dozens. Would you mind being a bit more specific?"

"The one the vice cops are after too."

"Well, it looks like he needs a little reminder to keep his mouth shut. See to it but keep it simple, understand?"

"Understood."

Once they pulled into the parking lot Neal got out of the car. "Papa, can you stay here a few minutes while Jimmy and I take care of her," he said indicating the unconscious Channon.

"Yes," he muttered. "Do us a favor and get that tramp away from me!"

Neal lifted her into his arms and started walking down the path that led to Jamie and Beth McDermott's small cottage.

"Jamie is gonna have a fit when he sees his baby sister like this," Jimmy moaned. "And he'll kill you because he'll think you did it. My advice, drop her off on his doorstep and run like hell!"

Although he didn't like the idea, Neal knew the driver was right. He propped Channon up against the wall beside the front door, rang the doorbell twice and he and Jimmy raced down the sidewalk. A few minutes later the door was opened.

_"What the hell is this?!"_ a man howled in a thick Scottish brogue. "Channon, you wake your ass up right now and tell me what the hell you've been up to and when I get my hands on the son of a bitch who did it, I'm gonna cut his bloody nuts off!"

"Neal, what happened?" Belle cried when she opened the door to their suite to find her husband leaning on her stepson grimacing in pain.

"That's what I'd like to know too," Tink said angrily, seeing a bruise on Neal's face and his bloody nose. "You got in a fight down at the club, didn't you?" she pressed.

"Yeah," he answered while he was helping his father into bed.

"What my son _isn't_ telling you or me is why we ran out of there like bats out of hell to avoid the police with a drunken harlot trying maul me when all we had to do was explain that someone else started the fight and we were defending ourselves," Rumple growled. "You are going to give me an explanation, Baelfire."

"Papa, I promise I will but you need to rest first."

Rumple glared at him. "Do we have a deal then?"

"Papa!"

"Answer me!" he snarled.

"Neal, for God's sake just tell him!" Tink cried.

"Neal, I won't stand for this. This family has had enough secrets and lies to last a lifetime and it ends now! After everything he's been through to get you back, he deserves it, damn you!" Belle screamed. "Don't you realize you're only hurting him by keeping silent?"

"Belle," he began.

"No! You shut up and you listen to me! I may be younger than you but I am your stepmother and I love your father more than anything and I'm getting tired of you making him prove time and again you can trust him but how can he trust you when you have this secret you won't share?"

"All right, enough!" Rumple shouted. "Bae, I won't keep asking you about this...for now but if there is a time when I need to know, you will tell me. _Do we have a deal_?"

"Yes, Papa. We'll uhh...go back to our room."

As soon as they left Belle turned to her husband with her hands on her hips. "Now...what is this I heard about a drunken harlot trying to maul you?"

"Bae saw a women he...ahhh had relations with in the past in the bar having a difficult time with her dates so he stepped in and that's how the fight started. Sweetheart, that woman puts your Lacey persona to shame in terms of lewd behavior!"

"What did she do?"

"Couldn't keep her hands to herself. I had to use a sleeping spell on her and I think I heard Bae say something about her being drugged."

"Oh gods, Rumple. She could've been _raped_! I just read about that in the news. Men in this world...they put something in a woman's drink and _rape_ them! It's called a date rape drug!"

"Does this drug make the woman act...loose?"

"I...I think so. That poor woman. It's a good thing Neal stepped in when he did."

"We both did. I saw one of them hitting my son and I...lost my temper."

"You beat them with your cane, didn't you? Good!"

"Good? I never would have expected to hear that from you about me beating anyone, my sweetheart."

"In this case I'll make an exception," she muttered. "I don't want anything like that to happen to our daughter."

"It won't because any man who wants to date my daughter is going to run the gauntlet first. I may not be the Dark One anymore but I can still put the fear of it in anyone who hurts my family," he vowed.

Belle crawled into bed beside him. "Is your leg feeling better?"

"A little." He sighed.

"What's wrong, Rumple?"

"I can't let go of the feeling that something's going to happen and it has to do with Bae and what he's not telling me," he confessed.

"I thought you didn't have visions anymore."

"I don't but my son is afraid of something here and I wish he would just tell me and let me help him."

"So do I. I'm sorry I yelled at him earlier but sometimes I feel like he still doesn't believe in you, believe that you're not the Dark One anymore."

"I won't force him to tell me, Belle. We made a deal and I'm not breaking it."

Author's Notes: Okay dearies we're gonna check in with the Vegas gang first but after that...the ride really gets rocky in Miami as all of Neal's secrets come out and the Golds tangle with the Miami Beach PD!


	11. Vegas: Girls Night Out

When Regina rose the next morning and entered the living room, she could not conceal her smirk when she saw Hook and Charming sleeping on the sofas. Being exiled from the bedroom was not how she would have punished those two idiots but if there was one thing she knew, kicking a man out of the bedroom was one of the best tortures a woman could inflict on a lover as was telling them they weren't getting any for a while. She'd had her own bout with stupidity while drunk, a mistake she had no intentions of repeating in the future.

She went into the kitchen, poured herself a glass of apple cider and went out to the balcony for some fresh air, surprised to find that she wasn't alone. Emma was also outside sipping a cup of cocoa, appearing to be deep in thought. Regina would never admit it openly but over the course of the two years Emma had been in Storybrooke, the former Evil Queen began to respect the girl. In many ways she was like the two idiots that bore her but unlike them, she didn't keep her head in the clouds all the time.

"Sometimes I ask myself why the hell I'm doing this," she said aloud. "I told them both if it came down to me making a choice I would choose Henry yet I still let him move in with me thinking this time I would actually get it right but no! He hasn't left yet but when he is there, he isn't." She turned her head. "Didn't see you stand there. I'll bet you're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked bitterly.

"I know too well how it is to live alone yet not be," Regina confessed as she sat down beside her. "So no, I am not enjoying this. I told you before you needed to speak to Hook about his drinking. I don't think I need to remind you of the reason for my concern since it's yours too...and Neal's."

"I think a lot of it has to do with people thinking he's still a villian because he and Rumple still have their spats."

"Verbal spats," Regina pointed out. "They'll never be friends and neither will Rumple and I but we have a truce for Henry's sake."

"At least you don't have to deal with this crap. I thought if I finally found a guy I'd be happy but I'm not. I'm miserable!" Emma complained.

"That makes two of us," Snow said as she stepped out onto the patio and closed the sliding door.

"Trouble in paradise?" Regina teased. Snow glared at her.

"My husband is an idiot, that's all."

"Oh, it is literally going to snow. She finally figured it out!" Regina exclaimed.

"Knock it off Regina," Emma scolded.

"She's the one who called him an idiot, not me," Regina defended.

"Well he acted like one and so did Hook and they need to suffer for a bit before they get back in our good graces. A night on the couch isn't good enough." Snow said firmly.

Regina stared at her former stepdaughter with an amused grin on her face. "Now we're talking," she said just as she had to Rumple months ago while they plotted to take down his crazy father. "The women in my gambling club bought a Chippendales show package and they have extra tickets. Wanna go?" she offered.

Emma burst into laughter. "Do you even know what the Chippendales are?""

"Oh, for Heaven's sake Emma of course I do. Male strippers."

"We're going to see strippers!?" Snow cried, giggling.

"If you want to, yes."

"I can just imagine the look on David's face...count me in!"

"You know, for a second I thought she was going to back out," Regina whispered to Emma.

"So did I. This is going to be interesting."

To say that the men were not pleased with where the women planned to spend the evening was a gross understatement. David knew what male strippers were but Hook, still learning about life in this world, did not and both of their male egos were taking a beating as the women discussed in much detail what they wanted to see from the dancers at the club, Regina enjoying their misery more than the others. The men had to settle for spending the evening at the casino with Henry, who refused to do anything else now that he was on a winning streak. Hook was more determined than ever to increase his own fortune and be able to afford something he wanted to give Emma but if he didn't do something about his rum addiction, he'd never get the chance.

It was the ultimate girls night out. Not only were they going to get the chance to meet and party with the dancers after the show, they also got to sit in their own VIP lounge. Emma and Snow immediately took a liking to the other women in Regina's gambling club who ranged in age from twenty-six to sixty-six. They'd all had a glass or two in them and were well relaxed when the show began.

"Oh my God!" Emma cried out. "Are you looking at that Mary Margaret...are you looking?" she demanded as she shook her mother several times while they watched the men dancing around the stage.

"I am, I am!" Snow affirmered.

Emma whistled. "I wanna take him home...hell I wanna take 'em all home!"

"You better be sharing!" Regina called back.

"You're not leaving me out either!" Snow warned.

"Shake it baby!" Emma yelled.

"I take it this isn't the first time you've been to a strip show?" Regina asked.

"Nope. Had to bust one in one of my first bail bonds jobs here...whoooo Regina here they come...oh my God they're coming over heeeerreeeee..."

"Oh yes...that's it...come to the Evil Queen," Regina chanted as the men began to dance closer to where the women were sitting.

"You gonna show them just how evil you are?" Emma joked.

"I'll even break out the leather...dammit I need to get laid! I need the man with the lion tattoo in my bed..now!"

Emma nearly fell off her chair as she laughed. "The man with what?"

"Never mind," she muttered. "What the hell!? You have got to be kidding me! Why does she get to go on stage? Guys come on! Forget Snow White, she's boring. You wanna play doctor, here are two real women right here who need a good checkup!" Regina hooted as Snow was being entertained by two of the men in the group. Having heard Regina's challenge two of the other dancers approached her and Emma, pulling them on stage too.

"This is more like it," Regina murmured, finding herself pleasantly sandwhiced between two dancers while another two were entertaining Emma, who was having a difficult time trying to keep her hands off the dancers bare backsides.

_Oh if Hook and Idiot Two could see them now,_ Regina thought. She knew Emma had a wild streak in her from the moment she first showed up in Storybrooke but getting her mother to show one was like pulling teeth. No doubt she would regret her actions at this show in the morning as was so like her. As Regina said to Pan before she broke free of his tree of regret trap and took her son's heart back. She was not full of regret because in the end, she got what she wanted...most of it anyway.

After the show was over, the three women posed for pictures with the men and got to spend a few more hours with them at the club, the idea that they'd been acting as crazy as their significant others had the night before never entering their minds.

At the casino Hook decided to try his luck at the poker tables. Unfortunatley, the streak of luck he'd been counting on quickly took a turn for the worst as he lost a large chunk of his money on several hands he thought were good only someone else had a better one. He watched his chips quickly dwindle away yet he wasn't ready to surrender yet. He went to the nearest ATM machine and withdrew more money believing his next hand would be the big one.

Henry and his grandfather decided to spend the evening at the slot machines although Henry sensed his grandfather wasn't in a good mood. He knew it had something to do with the bar incident but he didn't dare bring it up. When the three of them returned to the room two of them were a little richer while the third was in danger of losing the last of his nest egg and along with it any chance of keeping Emma.

The women returned around four AM and upon seeing her husband so miserable Snow White immediately went to work to patch things up. Emma, however, wasn't ready to forgive and forget yet. Hook watched with a heavy heart as she went to the bedroom and locked the door behind her, leaving him to spend the night alone on the sofa...again.

_Hi everybody, _

_I spent the evening with Grandpa at the slots while Hook went to the poker tables. My moms and Grandma went to see the Chippendales. I know I'm not supposed to know what they are but I looked it up. Grandpa and Hook weren't happy but I guess they had a good time because they were all happy when they came back and even had pictures taken with them. Mom said she's going to post them on her Facebook. _

_Hello ladies of Storybrooke!_

_If you want to see a real man, here are ten of them! These are pictures of me, Emma and Snow White with the famous Chippendales! Along from being gorgeous they are also very friendly. We all had a great time but I think Emma and I enjoyed ourselves the most. If you want more details...we'll gladly fill you in when we get back! _


	12. Miami: It All Hits The Fan

Tinkerbell wasn't surprised when she awoke after midnight to see Neal's side of the bed vacant nor did she need him to leave a note telling her where he was. Although it had been years since he worked there, Neal's protectiveness of the women from the Oasis never went away only according to him, Channon McDermott didn't work in the Oasis, or at least she hadn't while he was still in Miami.

When he told her the truth about his criminal past in Miami and other states she was not as shocked as she should have been, having seen what a poor role model he had in Pan during his years in Neverland and his father hadn't been setting a good example as the Dark One either. The Lost Boys were experts at thievery, abduction and fighting since there were no responsible adults around to discourage their bad behavior. The one that should've taken the responsibility never would. After all, it was to go back to being a child again that he came to Neverland. When he returned from the Oasis an hour later, he didn't say anything to her about what happened when he confronted Channon. Instead he simply drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, it seemed as if the previous evening's events were nothing but a bad dream, at least by the way Rumple and Belle were acting. The four of them spent most of the day on the beach again, only Tink was forced to sit under an umbrella because she refused to use magic to heal her sunburn. She and Neal separated from Rumple and Belle for several hours while they did some shopping and Rumple and Belle decided to have lunch in the resort's main dining room. While they were eating a familiar woman approached the table. Rumple cringed.

"Rumple? What's wrong?" Belle asked.

"It's all right Mr. Gold. I ahhh...wanted to apologize for my behavior last night," Channon McDermott said softly. "And to thank you for coming to my defense like you did."

"No matter," he mumbled.

"Why were you fondling my husband?" Belle demanded.

"Ummm...I was a bit drunk and...my...companions laced my drink."

"Do you realize you could've been raped?"

"Yes, I do. I knew I could get into trouble by going there but I had to."

"Why?" Rumple asked.

"I was looking for someone. Again, I am sorry for any trouble I caused," the woman said and walked away.

Rumple didn't mention Channon McDermott's impromptu apology to his son and neither did Belle. They still held onto the hope that Neal would feel comfortable telling them everything eventually. When he and Tink returned from their shopping expedition, Neal informed them he was taking them all out to a club in town called the Prime Catch.

"This joint looks as vile as the one we were in last night and The Rabbit Hole," Rumple muttered to his wife as he gazed up at the club's sign featuring a scantily clad mermaid that looked a lot like Ariel.

Belle frowned. "I have to agree but we have to tolerate it for your son's sake."

Once they were seated at their table, someone handed Neal a box. He opened it and looked at the contents and read the note inside. "Ummm, Papa, can you excuse me for a few minutes," he said quickly as he stood up with the box tucked under his arm.

"I suppose." Rumple said reluctantly.

Neal walked outside to where two men were standing.

"I got your message," he hissed as he threw the box on the ground. It opened and a rat with its head cut off fell out.

"Good. Wouldn't want anything to happen to that nice little family of yours, would you?"

"You leave them out of this!"

"We will, as long as you remember that dead rats tell no tales and neither should live ones."

"You can threaten me all you want but if you try anything on me you're the ones that'll need to be scared."

"Don't think so. You would've been shark bait eleven years ago if it wasn't for that bitch Channon McDermott."

Neal smirked. "You guys enjoy trying to intimidate people like me yet the McDermotts have you pissing your pants if you or that cockroach you work for goes anywhere near them because you know damned well they can make _you _shark bait any time they want to. And let's not forget the vice cops. They want Willie's head on platter since he's given their whole department a black eye."

In the distance he could hear dozens of police sirens. One of the men ran to the end of the alley. "Holy shit, we gotta get out of here and call Roasch. It's a goddam raid!"

"What? Why the hell weren't we told beforehand?"

"Looks like your department snitch dropped the ball," Neal retorted as he ran back into the club, freezing in his tracks when he saw his father, Belle and Tink being led out of the club in handcuffs.

"Well, well, well, look what the tide pulled in! The catch of the day," Detective Victoria Morgan drawled as she appeared behind Neal.

"Well well, well if it isn't Curly," Neal mocked. "So where are Larry and Moe?"

"Oh they're anxiously awaiting your arrival at the station. You didn't think you were gonna give us the slip this time, were ya?" She took a pair of handcuffs out of her pocket and slapped them on his wrists. "Been looking forward to this for a looong time," she said as she led him out to an awaiting squad car.

"Bae, what in the _hell_ have you gotten us into now?" Rumple seethed as he, Belle, Tink and Neal were being escorted into the police station along with everyone else who had been arrested during the raid on The Prime Catch Club.

"Sir, would you come with me please?" one of the female officers said to Rumple before his son had a chance to answer him.

"Well dearie, since you've confiscated my means of getting around, I'll require some assistance," he said icily. The officer took Rumple's arm and escorted him down the hallway to a small room and helped him sit down in a chair. There were two detectives waiting for him, a male and female.

"I'm Detective Diego Rivera and this is my partner Julianne Womack. May I have your name please?"

"Rumplestiltskin Gold," he muttered, waiting for the laughter to start as it did every time he spoke it in this damned town. Damn his father to all hell…

"No one likes a smartass. Name?" Detective Rivera repeated.

"That is my name, dearie."

"Yeah, and mine's the Tooth Fairy. Name?"

If this man wanted to play games, he would play.

"Very well…The Dark One," he declared in his old high pitched voice complete with his signature wave of the hand.

"Very funny old man. Name!"

"Twisted Little Imp, Malevolent Imp, The Beast…I could go on."

"You're pushing it, old man! Name!" Rivera barked.

"Sir, I've already told you my name. It is Rumplestiltskin Gold, however I use my first initial to avoid insults."

"Okay Rumplestiltskin or whatever the hell your name is, you mind telling us what you were doing in The Prime Catch? Providing Willie Roasch with two more mares for his stable?"

"I beg your pardon…_what_?"

"The two broads you were with. Was Willie purchasing them from you?"

"No! One of those _broads_ is my wife and the other is my son's fiancée!" he seethed. "How dare you suggest such a thing? And who is this Willie Roasch you are talking about?"

"Or maybe you were checking out the competition for Elizabeth McDermott," Detective Womack spoke up.

"Nothing either of you says is making any sense to me. I'm just here on a holiday with my family!"

"You mind telling us why Neal Cassidy is with you?"

"He's my son but his real name is Baelfire!" Rumple shouted. "Why is that any of your concern?"

"Well, well, well, isn't this interesting, Julie. Looks like his father has no idea what his son was up to here, does he?" Detective Rivera said to his partner.

"Are you saying my son has a criminal record here too?"

"His rap sheet is as long as my arm. He's wanted in a quite a few states but he's ours first."

"You're lying!"

"Afraid not. I busted him myself years ago," Detective Womack declared as she removed a series of printouts from the file folder she had in her hand and handed them to Rumple.

"No, this has to be a mistake. My son would never do…that!" Rumple whispered. "You have the wrong person," he insisted as he pushed the papers away from him.

"No, Mr. Gold. I don't. He may not have been willing to talk then but we've got enough on him now that it's the only option he has."

_And my son and I are going to have a talk of our own_, Rumple thought angrily. "He has the right to have an attorney with him during questioning as do I but you incompetents seem to have forgotten that. And since I happen to be an attorney, I must remind you that you're violating that right."

"We can check that out."

"Be my guest. My son is not involved in drug trafficking or prostitution!"

"He worked for the two people heavily involved in one or the other. As you can see from my report Mr. Gold, I arrested him during a prostitution sting eleven years ago where he was recruiting girls to work at McDermott Manor and we have surveillance that shows he was bringing in cocaine shipments from Columbia and Mexico for Willie Roasch, a major dealer here in Miami."

"You're insane. McDermott Manor is a resort."

"McDermott Manor is a whorehouse we've been trying to bring down for years but somehow that bitch Beth McDermott keeps one step ahead of us and Willie Roasch has been a pain in our asses for longer than that. Your son has inside information on both of them that if he's smart, he'll want to trade to avoid serious jail time." Rivera smirked.

"He's not agreeing to anything unless I advise him to!" Rumple growled.

"Well then why don't we see what he has to say? Tell Vicki to bring him in." he instructed Womack.

Neal's head was bowed as Detective Morgan led him into the interrogation room in handcuffs and sat him down in the chair beside his father.

"Bae, I'm asking you now to honor our deal," Rumple said softly. "I've been told you were involved in drug trafficking and prostitution while you were living here. I don't want to believe it but they have an arrest record here for one of them. Son, look me in the eyes and tell me the truth," he pleaded.

Neal raised his head and sighed. "It's all true, Papa." he croaked.

"Mr. Gold, are you all right?" Detective Womack asked worriedly as she watched the older man's face turn pale.

"It's my fault.._.all of it_," he sobbed as he buried his face in his hands.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you," Neal cried. "I knew you would blame yourself but it's _not_ your fault...I _chose_ to do what I did!"

"I broke our deal...I let you go...How can you say it's not my fault when if I hadn't let you go you never would have ended up in this place!"

"You had to let me go! You always say everything happens for a reason. I didn't understand it before but I do now. You had to let me go so that you could meet Belle, I could have Henry with Emma and once we found each other we gave you the strength you needed to break your curse without magic and redeem yourself and we did. We did and _you did it_!"

"Do you have any idea what the hell they're talking about?" Detective Morgan asked her companions.

"No clue," Rivera muttered.

"Papa, it's going to be all right."

"They said you could go to prison..."

"And we mean it Cassidy. We've got some questions for you but first..." Diego Rivera stood up, grabbed the other man by the collar, hauled him up out of the chair and shook him roughly. "You're gonna tell me where my mother is, you son of a bitch!"

"Diego!" Julianne Womack shouted as she and Victoria Morgan tried to pull him away.

"Take your hands _off_ my son!" Rumple snarled as he got to his feet, his magic flaring.

"Not until he answers me!"

"So this pursuit of my Bae has been personal for you, hasn't it?"

"You're goddam right it is!" Diego shouted. "I've been waiting eleven years to get my hands on this bastard and get my answer and I will get it! You and the cockroach you worked for killed her, didn't you? _Didn't you?!"_

Rumple stretched out his hands and sent a shockwave that sent the three detectives crashing to the floor. He waved his hand over them and cast an immobilization spell. "Now then," he said as he kneeled on the floor in front of them. "You touch my boy one more time and you won't have to worry about anything when I take your heart and crush it! My son has never harmed a living soul in his life but I can't say the same for me when it comes to protecting my family. _I show no mercy!_"

"Papa, let them go," Neal pleaded.

"Not just yet. We're going to have a little chat first. Let's start with you," he said as he waved his hand over Diego Rivera.

"W...What the hell are you?" he gasped. "S..some kind of _wizard?"_

"Once I was known as The Dark One, the most feared sorcerer in our world but to get save my family I had to pay a price and that price was to give up being the Dark One. I had to kill my own father to do it then turn the blade that gave me that power on myself since part of my reason for taking the power was to not be like him and protect my family from him. But the power became a crutch you see and I chose it over my son, let him come to this world alone. I regretted my mistake and spent centuries trying to find him _and I am NOT going to let you take him from me now!_ Get up!_"_

The still stunned detective slowly rose to his feet and pulled out his gun.

"Papa!" Neal screamed as Rivera pulled the trigger. Rumple conjured a fireball and threw it at the bullet, making it explode. He waved his other hand and the gun was forced out of Rivera's fingers.

"Now, unless you want to keep your heart in your body where it belongs, I suggest you sit down and we continue our chat."

Rumple fought back the exhaustion that threatened to overtake him, keeping himself focused on protecting his son. There was no telling what those officers would do to him once his strength faltered and he wasn't willing to take the chance. He released the immobilization spell on the two women and retrieved their weapons, not wanting a repeat of Rivera's failed shooting attempt then removed the cuffs from Neal's hands.

"Holy shit!" Julianne exclaimed

"You can say that again," Victoria murmured. "Should I be saying my Hail Marys?"

"I'm having a nightmare and I really need to wake up."

"Oh, you're not having a nightmare dearie. This is very real. Now, why do you think my son is responsible for your mother's death, Detective Rivera?"

"Because I was the last person he saw her with before she disappeared," Neal admitted. "I didn't kill her, I swear to God!"

"Is she dead?" Detective Rivera asked sadly.

"You don't have to answer them Bae," his father advised.

"No, Papa. I have to. I have to tell them everything."

"_Is she dead_?" Rivera repeated.

"Yes."

Detective Rivera rose from his seat and walked over to the other end of the room, pounding his fists against the wall as he sobbed. Detective Womack comforted him while Detective Morgan stayed at the table.

"You're denying that you participated in Maria Rivera's death yet how are you aware that she's deceased?" she asked.

"Because I heard everything that happened that night. They got in an argument. They fought before but it had never gotten that bad."

"What was the argument about?"

Neal took a deep breath and looked over at the distraught Detective Rivera. If finding out his mother was dead was traumatic, the topic of the argument that led to her death was going to be even more devastating. "Two things...Maria wanted Willie to clean up his act and...and she told him Diego was his son."

"Oh my God...!" Julianne whispered.

Diego spun around and glared at him. "That is a lie! There is no way in _hell_ that son of a bitch is my father!"

"Papa, is there a way you can show them I'm telling the truth?" Neal asked his father. "Tink said it's possible using the part of my heart you have."

"Bae, I didn't even use that spell to find out what you were hiding from me. I wanted to honor our deal!" Rumple cried.

"And I'm asking you to break it."

"What are you talking about?" Diego hissed.

"My father has a piece of my heart inside him. It has all my memories. If he uses a spell to pull it out, it'll show you everything that went on eleven years ago." Neal explained.

"H..How would that help us?" Julianne asked

"Because dearie, unlike the mind's memories, which can be changed according to our desires, the heart's memories only show truths," Rumple added.

"Y..You mean you're going to...literally take your heart out?" Victoria asked, paling.

"That's the way it's done."

"I'm gonna puke," she moaned. "Can't you do it without...that?"

"I'm afraid not. Even if my son gives a full confession, you won't believe him. I sincerely doubt you will believe him now but the only way I can be sure is if I perform a similar spell on one of you. Who wants to volunteer?" he asked with a smirk. The three detectives backed away. "I expected as much."

"You take our hearts out, we're dead," Diego mumbled.

"Oh, no. You see when a magic user takes a heart from another being they have four options as to how to use it. One is to crush it which will kill its host. The second gives us control over the person. The third, which can only be done with our own hearts, is dividing its essence so that we can bond with someone to give us strength and always find each other if lost. The fourth is to uncover truths the mind hides."

Diego sighed. "Use mine."

"Diego, are you nuts? He'll kill you!" Victoria cried.

"No he won't," Neal said as he looked into his father's eyes. "Papa, if you take his heart, you do it only to see his memories and prove what we're saying is true. Not to control him or hurt him. He has his reasons for being mad at me. You promise me?"

"I'll do what you ask Bae," Rumple said softly. "Detective Rivera..."

"Diego," the younger man corrected.

"Diego, this would be more comfortable for you if you were lying down."

"Get up on the table," Julianne suggested while she and Victoria cleared the table of their files and papers to make room for their friend's tall frame. He lay on the metal table top, arms at his sides, grimacing. His friends stood on each side of the table, taking one of his hands in theirs. Rumple waved his hand and conjured a pillow that he placed under the detective's head.

"Thanks."

Rumple glanced at the two women. "This is always terrifying if you've never seen or had it done before so having the two of you here will help. Once I pull his heart out, I will need to cast its memories on something that causes a reflection. That mirror over there will do." He indicated the two sided mirror on the wall in front of them."

"Ugh..." Victoria groaned.

"Vicki, I swear if you puke I will kill you!" Julianne threatened.

"Is there going to be any pain?" Diego inquired.

"No. All right Diego, I need you to tell me one memory you cherish above all others. It doesn't matter how far back into your life it is. I will still find it," Rumple instructed.

The detective thought for a moment before he spoke. "I was eight," he began softly. "All I wanted to do was go to the beach but Mom had to work all the the time so we never got a chance to go...until the summer I was eight years old. We just got in the car and drove down to Daytona. We spent the whole day there and built a sandcastle. It was the best day of my life."

"Lie still."

Rumple pressed his hand against the front of the man's chest. It shimmered for a second or two before Rumple's hand disappeared. He gently cupped the organ in his hand and brought it out slowly. The three detectives gasped in amazement as they saw it glowing bright red and they could hear it beating.

"You okay Diego?" Julianne asked worriedly.

"Yeah.I can't even feel it missing. You're not ready to puke yet, are you Vic?" he teased.

"No but..oh God this is so gross!"

Rumple waved his other hand over the glowing heart as he searched through the man's memories for the one he needed. A bolt of light shot out of it and struck the mirror on the wall, producing an image of the beach where a little boy in a pair of swimming trunks was shoveling sand into a small pail while his mother lay on a towel sunbathing.

"Mom, I wanna make a sandcastle. Can you help me?" Little Diego asked while the adult Diego repeated what his younger self said word for word.

"I sure can, sweetie. Here's how we're gonna do it."

Diego watched with tears in his eyes as his younger self and his mother built their sandcastle and wrote their names and the date underneath it. When they finished Diego threw his arms around his mother.

"I love you Mom."

"I love you too baby."

The image vanished.

"Nothing was the same for us after that day...she got hooked on crack, started drinking and bringing her customers home with her," he sobbed. "But that's how I want to remember her. Just like that. No drugs, no johns, no booze and still the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Y...you can put my heart back in, Mr. Gold."

Rumple gently eased the heart back into Diego's chest and stepped back. The young detective sat up slowly and released his friends' hands. "Mr. Gold, are you okay?" he inquired when he saw the older man brush a tear from his eye.

"I'm fine Diego. And so will you be...in time. Now, it's my turn." Rumple sat down in the chair and reached into his own chest, pulling out his heart while the detectives and his son watched curiously. He waved his hand over it and the heart divided into four red glowing pieces floating before him while one still remained in his palm.

"Why is yours in pieces?" Julianne asked him.

"His is divided," Neal answered. "The piece that's in his right palm is his alone. The other four are pieces are his and the ones he's bound to. One's mine, one is my son's, one is his wife's and one is my sister's even though she hasn't been born yet."

"How do you know what piece belongs to who?"

"Because I feel their emotions projecting from them," Rumple murmured and reached out to grasp the piece closest to him, closing his hand around it protectively and glanced up at his son. "It's going to be all right, Bae."

He opened his palm and a beam of light shot out of the heart piece, casting images on the mirror in front of them. He watched, his eyes filled with tears as his son who had just abandoned Emma was working as a waiter in another club, casually taking money from the register a few times a night until he was caught by Willie Roasch himself and offered another job, travelling back and forth between Florida and Columbia and Mexico carrying several briefcases filled with cash and others he was not given permission to open, only his companion was allowed to do so. One day he picked the lock on one of the cases and opened it.

"I'd only been in this world six years then but I read and saw enough to know that I was looking at either cocaine or heroin," Neal explained. "I tried taking off right then and there but he caught me."

Rumple's knuckles tightened around the handle of his cane as he watched his son being beaten repeatedly by Roasch and two other men, warned that if he ever breathed a word about what he'd seen they'd kill him and make it so that not even his own mother would recognize him. He wanted to find this Willie Roasch and let him see that what he'd done to his precious Baelfire would be nothing compared to the hellish fury the former Dark One would unleash in retribution.

The scene shifted to another room where Roasch and a haggard looking Maria Rivera were in the midst of a violent argument while Neal was tied to a chair. Diego Rivera howled with rage when he saw Roasch take a knife and slash his mother's throat then force his terrified other captive to help him bury the body. The next image that showed was Neal being bound, gagged and tossed into the trunk of a car.

As Rumple's strength faltered, the spell broke, the image vanished and the pieces of his heart reassembled. His hand was trembling as he placed his heart back in his chest. Seconds later he fainted.


	13. Vegas and Miami: The Disney Mafia

Henry was sitting at his computer in the living room looking up some poker playing tips when he suddely felt dizzy and sharp pains in his chest. He pressed his hand against his chest where his heart rested and an image of his grandfather Rumple lying on the floor unconscious in what looked like a police station interrogation room flashed before his eyes. Henry jumped out of his chair and ran upstairs in search of Regina. She was out on the balcony drinking apple cider.

"Mom! Something's wrong with Grandpa!" he cried frantically.

"What? Snow White kick him out of the bedroom again?" she asked sarcastically.

"Not him! Grandpa Rumple! I saw him in a police station in Miami. He's passed out and he's in pain. I have to go to Miami and help him!"

"Honey, there isn't a flight out of Vegas to Florida today and driving would take us days," she pointed out after she used her phone to check airline schedules.

"Can't I just...get there using magic?" he asked. "I could in Storybrooke."

"Magic is unpredictable outside of Storybrooke, Henry."

"I have to do something. Mom, please!" he begged. "If having part of his heart in me can let me know when he's hurt and needs help, can't it help me get to him? I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for him!" he reminded her.

"You're not going alone," she said firmly.

"Then you'll help me?"

"You know I'll do anything for you," she said softly. "We need to go tell the others."

"It's probably nothing," Hook muttered when Regina finished explaining what happened.

"If Henry feels it, it's more than nothing!" Regina snapped. "If it weren't for Rumplestiltskin my son would be dead."

"Have you forgotten _he_ wanted Henry dead too?"

"That was the Dark One Curse manipulating him," Henry said.

"I don't think so lad. I know that crocodile too well."

"Well he's not like that anymore and he _is_ my grandpa. I'm going and I don't care what you say. You're not my father and you never will be!" Henry raged. Hook stumbled back as if wounded. Things had been going so well between them...

_Damn you, crocodile. Damn you to hell! _

"I'm going with you," Emma spoke up.

"Oh no you're not!" Hook protested.

"Yes I am and you and I are going to have a _long_ talk when I get back," she snarled.

"Is there anything we can do?" David spoke up, indicating himself and Snow.

"Yeah, keep an eye on _him!"_ Emma replied, pointing at Hook. "And make sure he doesn't clean the hotel out of the booze while I'm gone."

"I don't need a bloody..."

"_We'll talk when I get back!_" she screamed. "Regina, what do we need to do?"

Regina concentrated, trying to remember the lessons Rumple had given her on heart magic. They weren't very extensive as neither one of them had been able to use it after a heart division spell back then. "Take one of Henry's hands while I hold the other. Henry, listen to me carefully. I need you to try to connect with the part of your heart that's merged with Rumple's. If it is able to tell you he needs you it can also tell you how to find him. Search its memories and send them to the half of your heart you share with me and I can get us there."

"Henry doesn't have magic..." Emma pointed out.

"He always has, as did you and you both need to learn how to use it properly. I'll be speaking to Rumple about it after we find out what's wrong and help him."

Henry closed his eyes and concentrated, the path to travel to reach his grandfather revealing itself to him through Rumple's memories and the older man's powers of observation. Little details that average people took for granted became the young boy's roadmap through time and space. He collected them like fireflies in a jar and sent them to the one person he could trust to be his compass, guiding him back to the right direction if he lost his way through the maze of magic.

"Hold on tight...you too Emma," Regina said.

"Hold on Grandpa. We're coming," Henry said as they vanished into a cloud of purple smoke.

"Papa, wake up, please!" Neal begged through his tears as he shook his father's shoulders. Diego and Julianne kneeled beside him.

"Is he breathing?" Julianne asked her partner while he was attempting to examine Rumple.

"Yeah, and he's got a pulse but it's a weak one. Vicki, get on the phone and get an ambulance here!" Diego shouted. "Neal, I'm sorry but we'll need to lay him on the floor. Julie, hand me that pillow he gave me."

"Rumple!" they heard a hysterical Belle scream from the doorway. "Let me in there, that's my _husband_!"

"Mrs. Gold, we're getting an ambulance here right away. Why don't you come with me and..." Victoria said gently as she tried to lead Belle away. She broke free from Victoria's grasp and fell to her knees at her husband's side and lay her head on his chest as she sobbed.

"Don't leave me Rumple, please..." she begged. "I love you...I need you...our baby needs you..."

"This is why I didn't want to tell him!" Neal moaned.

"What have you done?" Belle cried as she glared up at her stepson. "Haven't you punished him enough for his mistake? Does he have to spend the rest of his life paying for it? Damn you..."

"What the hell is that!" Victoria screamed as a cloud of purple smoke materialized in the room.

"Never mind that, where's the goddam ambulance?" Diego shouted.

"That won't help him," they heard someone say from behind them. The three detectives turned their heads to see two women and a young boy in the room. One of the women had dark hair, the other blond.

"Henry," Belle croaked. "You heard him calling...like I did..."

"He's gonna be okay, Belle. We can heal him like before," the boy assured her as he took her hand in his and placed them over Rumple's chest. "Dad, he needs you too. He needs all of us!" Neal placed his hand over his son's and Belle's.

"Oh my God...look at that!" Julianne gasped as she watched a gold light shining from beneath the three joined hands that glowed brighter until Rumple gasped and opened his eyes.

"Bae...Belle..._Henry?"_ he asked weakly. "W...How did you get here, lad?"

"I heard you calling me and Mom helped me find you," he answered. "Are you okay, Grandpa?"

"I...I'm just exhausted," he murmured as Neal helped him sit up.

"What the hell is going on here, Rumple? Why are you in a police station and using magic? Do you realize how dangerous it is?" Regina demanded.

He scowled. "And hello to you too, dearie," he said sarcastically.

"I'd like to know the answer to that too," Emma added.

"Sheriff Swan. Have you brought your pirate friend with you too?"

"No, he's cooling his heels back in Vegas. So what's going on, Gold? You make a bad deal with someone and they had you busted or what?"

"It's not him that's in trouble Em, it's me," Neal said sadly.

"Okay, okay...hold on a minute here. Who _are_ you people?" Diego asked. "I know he's a wizard but who are you?" he asked Emma and Regina.

"He's the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, Rumplestiltskin from the Grimm story and the crocodile from Peter Pan," Henry said, indicating his grandfather. "Belle is the Beauty from Beauty and the Beast." He pointed at Belle. "My mom is Regina, but she used to be the Evil Queen from Snow White." He indicated Regina. "And my mom Emma is called the savior because she's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and broke a curse on all of us."

"Ummm...guys...Orlando is thata way," Julianne chuckled. "You're not seriously telling us you're real live Disney characters..._are you_?"

"They are," Henry declared proudly.

"And I thought I've heard it all..." Diego muttered.

"You believe my grandpa's a wizard. Why can't you believe he's the Beast, Rumplestiltskin or the crocodile?" Henry asked.

"Umm, I haven't seen Beauty and The Beast in a long time but he sure wasn't a middle aged wizard who dresses like the Godfather and walks with a limp," Julianne answered.

"Don Rumple," Diego joked.

"I actually like the sound of that," Rumple said with a grin. "After all, I _do_ make offers people _can't_ refuse."

Regina rolled her eyes at the detectives. "Go ahead. Inflate his ego more."

"Okay Evil Queen, where's your poisoned apple?" Diego challenged.

"I ate it," Henry answered. "Well, my grandma Snow White ate it first then I got some of it in an apple turnover, went to sleep and woke up with true love's kiss."

"Soooo...who's the other girl with you? Wendy Darling?"

"Tinkerbell," they all corrected in unison.

Diego threw up his hands. "I don't believe this. We've arrested the Disney Mafia!"

"Now _I_ like the sound of that!" Regina said gleefully.

"Bexler is gonna think we've been snorting the coke in the evidence room when we give him our report," Victoria said and laughed.

"No, he's gonna set us all up for a psych evaluation!" Julianne exclaimed.

"Would you guys please stop the joking and tell us what the hell is going on?" Emma asked angrily.

"My past caught up with me," Neal answered.

"You mean the watches thing? I did the time for that in case you've forgotten!"

"No...I had a record here too. Look, I really don't want to get into all of it in front of Henry, okay. What I do want is for you and Regina to take them all back to McDermott Manor or Vegas. It's too dangerous for them here."

"Neal, what did you do?"

"I'm not leaving here without you, Bae!" his father said firmly as he stood up.

"I'm afraid you won't have much of a choice Mr. Gold. We have enough evidence to hold him and with his confession..." Diego said remorsefully. "I'm sorry Neal."

"Dad? What's going on? Why are you being arrested?" Henry inquired of his father.

Neal looked up at his son. "I'm sorry Henry," he croaked.

"My son is _not_ going to prison," Rumple growled. "You call your district attorney right now and tell him we want to make a deal," he ordered the three detectives.

"What the hell did you do?" Regina hissed at Neal.

"Regina, Emma, please just take Henry and go. He doesn't need to see this!" Neal pleaded.

"Why am I thinking this is about something worse than stolen watches?" Emma muttered.

"Because it is...now go!"

"We're going to need all of you but Mr. Cassidy to vacate the room please," Julianne instructed.

"We leave together or we don't leave at all!" Belle said firmly, her arms crossed over her breasts while she stood beside her spouse.

"Yeah!" Henry piped up.

"You have a choice dearies, either you allow my son to make a deal and we leave together...or we do this the hard way," Rumple advised. He would use every last ounce of physical or magical strength he had to fight for his son. The three detectives looked at each other, uncertain of what to do. They knew Rumple was a powerful wizard from his previous demonstration and had to assume the woman whom they called the Evil Queen had to be just as dangerous as the one in the fairy tale even without the poisoned apple.

"Then it's going to have to be the hard way," Diego declared bravely as he approached the wizard and stared him down. "You want your son free and I want my mother's body found and her killer rotting in a jail cell or given the needle. I'm done playing games. You can try to blast us all into pieces but once you do your secret is out and you and the rest of your little band of fairy tale characters are going to become government lab rats once they get wind of what went down here and you'll lose your boy anyway along with your pretty wife. You don't strike me as being a stupid man, Mr. Gold. You only performed magic around us because you're certain we won't talk. That doesn't go for the rest of this shithouse. We've got some of the nastiest rats here who would sell their own mothers to get a quick buck. Now, what I'm offering is that we say your son made a full confession and is willing to give us Willie Roasch in exchange for full immunity and he'll just have to spend a little time in jail til we get everything worked out...and your secret goes no further than this room. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

_Good God, he sounds just like Papa,_ Neal mused as he looked up at his father and he was not surprised to see an impish grin on the older man's lips. Even without the dagger's curse his father was not a man to walk away from a good deal...and neither it seemed was Diego Rivera.

Wheeling and dealing, those had been the tricks of the trade of the former Dark One. Only one person in all the known realms tried to defeat him at his own game, thinking she'd achieved her victory only in the end he, Rumplestiltskin, had proven the victor despite Cora's boasts to the contrary. Now once again he found himself in negotiations with an adversary who was not only as skilled at the game but offered a solution where both parties could claim victory. Rumple would have his son and Diego Rivera would have his justice. It was deal he was willing to make but only if it was what his son wanted.

"Make the deal, Papa," Neal said softly as he met his father's eyes.

"How certain are you that your district attorney will honor our agreement?" Rumple demanded.

"Ashman wants Roasch as badly as we do," Diego affirmed. "He'll go along with it."

Rumple shook the younger man's hand. "Then the deal is struck but I warn you, no one breaks a deal with me without paying a steep price."

"Oh, believe me, this is a deal I want to honor." Diego vowed. "We'll need everyone but Mr. Gold and Mr. Cassidy to leave the room please."

"Rumple?" Belle glanced over at her husband worriedly. He took her hands in his and patted them gently.

"Everything will be all right, sweetheart," he assured her.

Victoria led the rest of the family out of the interrogation room and they were taken to an anxious Tinkerbell who was waiting in another room drinking a soda and eating a candy bar, adding the wrapper to a quickly growing pile of other discarded wrappers.

"Comfort food, Tink?" Regina asked.

"Wh...How did you get here?"

"Rumple overdid it again and summoned Henry here and you didn't think I'd let him come alone, did you? Now what is going on? What did Neal do that the police want him to make a deal about?"

She glanced over at Henry. "This is not a story he needs to hear. Are you all right, Belle?" she asked the younger women. She looked exhausted.

"I'll be fine," she murmured as she sat down. "I'm just worried about Rumple and Neal."

Victoria Morgan bought herself a soda and a bag of chips and sat at a table observing Neal's family, remembering how much she'd loved the stories they supposedly came from when she was younger, the exception being the tale of Rumplestiltskin since he was a scary fellow. The Rumplestiltskin she met did remind her more of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, vicious to strangers who crossed him but kind and gentle to his family. She hadn't been around the supposed Evil Queen very long but she wouldn't eat anything that woman made if it had apples in it! Out of the corner of her eye she watched the district attorney walk into the interrogation room where the others waited along with their superior, Lieutenant Bexler.

An hour later the door opened and the men emerged, Neal in handcuffs with his head bowed and Rumple looking like he was ready to burst into tears. Belle rose from her seat and threw her arms around her husband.

"Rumple, darling, what's going on?"

"They want to set a trap for that...that man...and use my son as bait!" he snarled. "I don't like it Belle, I don't like it one damned bit but he won't let me talk him out of it. And the smug bastard threatened all of us if Bae talked. I want to find him and crush his heart into dust but he won't let me and you know I don't like to break deals with him!"

"He still has to spend time in jail?"

"Well he's not spending it alone. I am NOT leaving this place without my son!"

"And I'm not leaving here with you!" she cried.

"Sweetheart...a cell is no place for you in your condition."

"I won't be parted from you again! When we leave, we leave together!"

"What's going on?" Victoria demanded.

"We're not leaving without my son," Rumple said firmly.

"Oh yes you are!"

"No we're not, dearie. You can throw us in a cell if you'd like but we're staying."

Soon Tinkerbell, Henry and even Regina and Emma joined the protest. Belle sat down on the floor and motioned for the others to join her, not easy to do for her husband.

"I read about this in one of my books. It's called a sit in protest," she explained.

Emma laughed. "This is so Sixties. Should we break out the tye dye shirts and yell 'Hell no, we won't go!"

Belle smirked. "Hell no, we won't go!" she shouted. Soon the others joined in.

"What the hell's all the racket?" Bexler shouted.

"Ummm...Mr Cassidy's family is refusing to leave and they're just sitting here in the middle of the room!" Victoria called back.

"_A sit in_? What is this the fuckin' _Sixties_? Throw em in the lockup!"

"Sir, one of them is a child..."

"Well then you keep an eye on him but as for the rest of the Disney Mafia, put their asses in the lockup! Now!" Bexler shouted.

"The Disney Mafia?" one of the officers who entered the room to see what the commotion was burst into laughter. "That's a new one. Really? These guys all Disney World rejects or what?"

"They think they are Disney characters. Quit standing there gawking like a bunch of idiots asking stupid questions and get them down to the lockup or you'll be joining them!"

"Come on Don Rumple," Victoria giggled as she helped the older man to his feet and cuffed his hands while other officers took Belle, Regina, Tinkerbell, and Emma into custody. As they were being escorted down to the holding cells, other officers who now all heard who each claimed to be from a proud Henry gathered around and started whistling the Godfather theme as Rumple passed them, 'Beauty and the Beast' for Belle, 'Heigh Ho' for Regina and Emma and 'I Believe I Can Fly' for Tinkerbell whose response was to give them the middle finger. Henry stood back with Julianne unable to conceal the grin on his face as he recorded the event on his cellphone for everyone to see back home and in Vegas.

"You have one crazy family, kid," she murmured.

"Yeah but I love them all."

_Hi everybody!_

_I'm now down in Miami with Mom Regina and Mom Emma since Grandpa Rumple needed our help. Dad's gotten into some trouble down here and we're staying here until it works out. We're now at the Miami Beach police station. Dad has to spend some time in jail until he can get what's going on straightened out but Grandpa doesn't want to leave without him and neither did anyone else so we staged a protest! They call us the Disney Mafia and started whistling Disney songs at my grandparents and my moms when they took them to their cells. They whistled the Godfather theme at Grandpa and call him Don Rumple. I loved it. Here's the video. Get ready to laugh your butts off! _

_I wish I knew what trouble Dad got in but it's gonna be okay. Grandpa will make sure of it. Until he and my moms get out of jail I'm gonna be staying with one of the officers. She's a nice lady named Julianne. Will keep you posted._

Later that night a call was made from the office of Lieutenant Bexler to an unlisted number.

"Hello?"

"Looks like live rats do tell tales. He and his crazy family are in the lockup now."

"Wait until later and take care of it. The family first and make him watch."

"Consider it done."


	14. Miami: Nastiest Rat In The House

Julianne led Henry into the locker room and helped him into one of the cots that had been set up for officers who sometimes decided it was better to sleep at the precinct rather than drive home and made a quick call to her teenaged daughter letting her know she wouldn't be home that night. The trap was set. All they needed now was to flush the rat in their precinct out. They had their suspicions of who it might be and now that their intended targets were in the house, it was just a matter of time before they made their move. Julianne pulled out her Glock and checked the clip. it was fully loaded and she had three more concealed in the pocket of her jeans.

Victoria and Diego took their positions outside the cell block, having told the officers originally in charge of the area that Bexler assigned them to the duty instead since they would have a much easier time keeping the latest occupants quiet than anyone else would.

Rumple paced the floor of his cell nervously holding onto the bars for support as he did so while the others slept in the cells around him, wishing he hadn't made a deal with his son not to use magic when this was the time when he needed it the most. The family was in danger and although he trusted the three detectives who appointed themselves their bodyguards, his powers wouldn't fail them. Balefire, however, didn't want his father to push himself to the point where he could die. Rumple had proven once before he was willing to fight to the death for his family and he would do so again and he would once again have Regina as an ally rather than an adversary. He glanced over at her cell to see that she too was wide awake, concerned for Henry as they both feared he would be the first target.

"We need to start teaching Emma and Henry more about using their magic, Rumple," she said.

"And we will when this is over because I do not want my grandson to not know how to protect himself if we're not around to help."

"The Evil Queen and the Dark One join forces once again," she murmured.

"Former Dark One, dearie." he corrected.

"You still have a bit of him in you."

"When someone threatens my family, yes I do." He sighed. "I thought this trip as going to be pleasant one, not take us right back to fighting other villians again."

"I missed a good fight, didn't you?"

"No. All I want now is a quiet life with my wife and children."

"I suppose I'll have to get used to just insulting you to death."

"Yes you do, dearie. I'm retired," he quipped.

She rolled her eyes. "What, are we going to have to open up an Old Villians Retirement Home in Storybrooke or an AARV chapter?"

"A what?"

"American Association for Retired Villians? You could be their president."

He chuckled. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"What are you guys talking about in here?" Diego asked as he poked his head in.

"We're gonna form our own AARP chapter for Rumple but we're calling it American Association for Retired Villians," Regina answered.

Diego and Victoria burst into laughter, their laughter waking the others. "Is he the only one in your town that actually _is_ retirement age? How old are you anyway?" he asked Rumple.

"Three hundred and fifty-two before my curse was broken. Now I'm just fifty-two."

"Okay so you moooore than qualify for retirement...and Social Security!" Diego joked. "Do you actually collect it?"

"No, but I do pay quite a bit in income tax."

"I'm not that far behind him in age," Neal said from his cell. "I'm actually one hundred and thirty-five years old."

"How the hell is that possible?"

"Lived in Neverland for a long time and you didn't age there."

"So Neverland is real. What about Peter Pan?"

"My father is dead," Rumple grumbled. "I killed him."

"Whoa! You telling me your father was _Peter Pan_? How the hell is _that_ possible?"

"Ummm...can we avoid talking about him, please?" Belle pleaded as she glanced up at her husband and noticed that he was upset. "Let's just say he was not how the stories in this world portrayed him and leave it at that."

"Is there a Captain Hook and the Darlings?"

"Yes!" they all cried out in frustration. "Are you quite finished swith your interrogation, Diego?" Rumple inquired.

"Yeah but I'd really like to see this place and meet all the real people. Should be interesting."

"There's never a dull moment, that's for sure," Emma muttered. "When we get back Madam Mayor, I want two more deputies. David and I can't work twenty four seven you know!"

The light mood in the cellblock was interrupted by gunshots coming from the floor above them.

"Henry!" Regina and Emma screamed.

"Julianne, come in!" Victoria yelled over the radio she held in her hand.

"Diego, Vicki get them out of there now! It's Bexler, Davis and Tomlinson..I repeat..it's Bexler, Davis and Tomlinson! Tomlinson's down but Bexler and Davis are on their way down there!" they heard Julianne's frantic voice scream back.

"Is Henry safe?"

"We'll meet you outside!"

"Bae, I'm sorry but I am breaing our deal!" Rumple growled and sent an energy blast at his cell door and Belle's while Regina took care of the others.

"Do what you have to, Papa. We need to find Henry and get somewhere safe."

Regina pressed her hand to her heart. "I know where they are. Everyone join hands. Rumple, it's going to take both of us to get everyone to them." The Mills Gold family plus two police detectives vanished into a cloud of purple smoke as the door to the holding area was thrust open and two men walked in holding guns, swearing in frustration when they found the cells empty.

They reappeared in the parking lot where Julianne waited with Henry. He threw his arms around his mothers.

"Are you okay Henry?" Regina asked worriedly as she checked him over for any injuries.

"No, Mom. Julie got the guy and I got us out here. I didn't think it would work but it did!"

"You teleported?" Rumple inquired.

"Yeah."

"Good boy!"

"Now that they know we're onto them, they'll try to go for Angelina and Andre, Diego!" Julianne cried.

Diego turned to the two magicians. "Now we need your help. We can't leave Julie's daughter and Vicki's son at home alone because if they can't get to you, they'll go after them. Is there any way you can bring them here like you did yourselves?"

"I'll find them," Rumple volunteered. "Ladies, I'll need you to come with me so they won't be frightened when we just appear out of nowhere. Bae, you know this town...is there anywhere the rest of you can go that will be safe until I return?"

"The Oasis."

_"What?! The brothel!? Are you out of your mind?"_

"No, Papa, I'm not. Roasch won't go anywhere near it because the McDermotts have more power in this town than he does."

"That's an understatement," Diego muttered.

"You are not seriously suggesting we hide out in a _whorehouse_, Neal!" Emma protested.

"I know what I'm doing, okay. He won't go there but just in case he tries, Papa and Regina can shield it like they do Storybrooke."

"Or we just forget this nonsense and go to Vegas!"

"I can't leave until I give them Roasch, Regina," Neal reminded her.

"Then you can stay here."

"No! We stay together and that's my final word on it!" Rumple snapped.

"Mom, I want to stay here with Dad...please stay with us!" Henry pleaded. "We need you here."

Regina sighed. "I'll stay but I don't like this one bit!"

"Neither do I!" Emma growled.

Rumple seized Julianne and Victoria's hands and vanished into a cloud of maroon smoke. They first appeared at Julianne's home where her daughter Angelina was sitting on the sofa watching a movie. She dropped the can of soda she was holding onto the floor.

"M...Mom! W...What...?"

"There's no time to explain sweetie. Just hold my hand, okay!" her mother pleaded. The young girl obeyed and they vanished again, this time reappearing in another apartment where Victoria's son Andre was sitting at his computer. Victoria grabbed his hand before he had a chance to ask her what was going on. When they arrived at their final destination with two very confused teenagers in tow Rumple rejoined his family while Victoria and Julianne were left to explain the situation to their children.

"Well, we're here. Why aren't we inside yet?" Regina demanded impatiently.

"I had to put the house in lockdown," Channon McDermott said as she approached them. "Well, looks like you had to come here after all," she snapped at Diego. "Wasn't good enough for you before but looks like I am when you want something, eh?"

"Not by choice, believe me," he muttered. She glared at him as he walked away.

Rumple watched the interaction between the two of them, smirking. "What is it, Rumple?" Belle inquired.

"He has something he needs to tell her," he answered cryptically as he linked his arm through hers and walked down to the dock "Whether he has courage enough to is another matter," he muttered under his breath as he summoned his cane from the police station. He and Regina stood near the entrance to the dock. He slammed the end of his cane into the ground and a beam of blue light shot up into the air forming a glowing dome above them. Regina shot a blast of her own magic at it, altering the shield to only allow anyone of their choosing to enter while Neal was with Tinkerbell and Henry talking to them.

"Diego, be careful," his friends were telling him as they hugged him while he stood on the dock with Neal, Henry and Rumple.

"I will. If anything happens I want you to make sure no one finds out about those guys, okay? We gave them our word."

A similar and far more emotional scene was taking place between a father and son.

"Bae, there has to be another way."

"There isn't, Papa. I'm not gonna let him come and get me. I'm going to him."

"You and Diego cannot go there alone and without magic to protect you that man will kill you both!"

"You're staying here! You already died for me once and you're not doing it again. My sister needs her father and Belle needs her husband too. You have to think about them."

"I just don't want to lose you again," he sobbed.

"This isn't the first time that man's tried to kill me. He couldn't do it before and it's gonna be even harder to do this time."

"What happened after they locked you in the car?"

"They left me for dead on the beach. Channon found me and brought me here. The rest you know."

"It seems our debt to her was paid when we got her out of that vile bar."

"She wants Willie Roasch gone as much as we do and if we can't get him, she will. I have to go, Papa."

"Just...one more thing," Rumple murmured, seizing his son's arm and placing his hand on his chest over his heart while he placed his own hand on his son's. Neal gasped as both hands glowed.

"Papa...what are you doing?" he cried frantically.

"You...told me...to do whatever I had to when I broke our new deal...I'm doing it!" Rumple could feel himself draining quickly but kept his focus as he shared all of his knowledge of light and dark magic with his son and how to use it. "Remember Bae..._all magic comes with a price...use it wisely_!" he begged before he collapsed with exhaustion.

"Papa! Goddammit, what did you do?" Neal cried as Belle ran to her husband's side followed by Henry and Regina.

Neal and Diego kneeled beside him and helped him sit up. Rumple grabbed the Diego's arm and pulled him down so that he could whisper in his ear. "You have something to tell her...now's the time."

"How did you know...?"

"Your heart...only shows truths, Diego. Remember. I've held it and seen what it hides."

"She won't believe me. We've been at each other's throats for so long..."

"Then maybe a demonstration is in order when the words won't do," he suggested as he gazed lovingly at Belle. "I lost her for so long because I was too cowardly to be honest about how I felt. Don't make my mistake. Tell her now before you don't get the chance to and end up with an empty heart."

He sighed as he rose to his feet. "All right but if she pushes my ass off the dock I'm going to say I told you so."

"You may be surprised," Rumple said softly as Regina and Belle helped him to his feet. He embraced Neal one last time. "I love you Bae."

"I love you too, Papa."

"We _will_ see you again, Neal," Belle said determinedly.

"It's Bae," he corrected her. His father smiled through his tears. "I'm the son of Rumplestiltskin and I'm not afraid or ashamed to admit it anymore."

_You should have done this months ago,_ Belle thought sadly. _It's all your father has ever wanted. _

Bae climbed into the speedboat he and Diego would take back to the mainland while he waited for the detective to join him. Belle and Regina were turning to escort Rumple into the Oasis when he asked them to stop.

"Why?" Belle inquired.

"Just for a few minutes, sweetheart." he said as he gazed out at the dock where a nervous Diego stood with Channon McDermott.

"He loves her, doesn't he?" Belle inquired.

"He has for a while as she loves him but there are some of the same issues between them that we had. Age for one, their troubled pasts for another."

"They don't look that far apart in age, Rumple."

"Six years but it feels like a lifetime to him."

"Wait...are you saying _she's_ older than _him_?" Belle exclaimed.

"Yes."

"Oh...I've never heard of that happening before."

"Happens a lot in this world Belle," Regina spoke up. "I for one would love to be in her shoes. He's gorgeous."

"We all know that relationship would be hazardous to his health, dearie," Rumple muttered. "You killed your last pet."

"You killed your first wife."

"Touche. Now shut up and let us watch this!"

"Should I give you some popcorn and a drink while I'm at it? Forget it, I'll just do it," she said and waved her hand. Rumple and Belle were now sitting on a bench, a large bowl of popcorn on Rumple's lap while Belle held a cup of soda with two straws in it. "If you start making out I am going to heave off the dock."

"Oh, go away!" Belle waved her off as she lay her head on her husband's shoulder while they munched on their popcorn and took turns sipping from the soda cup while they watched a story a bit similar to their own unfolding.

"So you're telling me these guys are real live Disney characters?" Channon was saying. "After what I've just seen I can't really tell you you're full of shit."

"Channon, I know I'm asking for a lot by having them hide out here but Neal…sorry Baelfire…won't have an easy time getting used to calling him by that name….doesn't trust anyone else but you with his family."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you trust me with them?"

"I'm not telling them to leave if that's what you mean," he snapped.

"Dammit, why do you always do this!" she cried.

"What?"

"Turn any decent conversation we try to have into an argument."

"Then maybe it's better if just don't talk at all!"

"Fine with me!" Channon yelled as she started to walk away.

"Ahhh you damned coward!" Rumple snarled as he threw a handful of popcorn in frustration. "When that boy gets back here I am stringing him up by his toes and skinning him alive for stupidity!"

"Rumple! Look!" Belle hissed as she tugged on his coat sleeve. He glanced up and saw Diego seize Channon by the arm and spin her around, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss while she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"It's about damned time he took my advice!"

"You don't know how long I've wanted this," Channon murmured once they broke their kiss.

"You don't know how long I've been trying to work up the courage to do it," Diego said softly and chuckled at the sight out of the corner of his eye.

"What's so funny?"

"We have an audience. Look."

Channon giggled. "How screwed up is this? We're standing here making out while the real Beauty and the Beast are watching us sitting on a bench cozying up to each other eating popcorn and drinking soda like they're in a movie theater."

"Now I can honestly say I've seen it all." He sighed. "And now I don't want to leave but I have to."

"When you come back we're finishing what we started here."

He smiled seductively. "Looking forward to it."

He kissed her one more time before he climbed into the boat.

Belle watched them with tears in her eyes as she recalled her own farewell to Rumple before he departed for Neverland.

_"I understand but I also know that the future is not always what it seems. I __**will**__ see you again..." _

"I came back sweetheart...so will he and so will my son." Rumple assured her.

She waited until the boat was out of sight before she started walking back to the house, pausing a few feet from where Rumple and Belle sat. Belle sensed the older woman's control was about to break.

"Rumple..."

"Go on. If anyone can offer her any comfort, it's you. I'll just sit here for a few minutes."

Belle kissed him on the cheek and walked over to where Channon stood weeping quietly and embraced her.

"I've said goodbye to him dozens of times over the years why the hell does it hurt so much now!?" she wailed.

"Because now you know he loves you as much as you love him."

"He didn't say it..."

"Couldn't you feel it in the way he kissed you...the way he held you? Sometimes what a man does tells you more than what he says. My Rumple has always been like that and so it seems is your Diego."

"I can't believe this...I'm getting love advice from the girl from Beauty and the Beast," she laughed through her tears.

"My name is Belle."

"Well, Belle...come on...let's get you and your family settled in," Channon said as she dried her eyes. "Mr. Gold, I can assure you, you won't see anything indecent during your stay," she added as he joined them.

"Oh? Stashed the men under the beds and in the closets, did you, dearie?"

"No, just had to boot them out in the middle of the night," she joked. "And we're an equal opportunity employer so we had to boot some unhappy women out in the middle of the night too."

"_Male _prostitutes?"Rumple asked, his mouth agape.

"You mean they don't have them where you're from?"

"Not that I knew of," he muttered. "But I know a certain pirate who may qualify." He shook his head as he limped into the house.


	15. Vegas and Miami: Story of a Beauty

**~ Vegas and Miami: The Tales of the Beauty and the Beast and An Officer and a Madam ~**

Everyone was shocked when they discovered that the inside of the Oasis looked more like a five star hotel than a brothel. The staff, having no clients for the evening were all performing general housekeeping duties or gathered in the lounges and game rooms. Regina stood in the doorway of one of them unable to contain her excitement.

"You have a casino here!" she cried.

"Of course we do," Channon said proudly. "There are casinos all over the Miami area and a lot of our clients are professional gamblers so we really couldn't let them have one vice and not the other. It's not Vegas but we have some great payouts and a lot of the staff here worked in the best casinos in Vegas, including the one you're staying in."

"Yeah but I still can't play in them," Henry said sadly.

"Why not?" Channon asked.

"I'm underage."

"Sweetie, this is my house and if you want to gamble, you can gamble." She glanced over at Victoria and Julianne. "Unless our resident vice cops have an objection."

"_We're_ hiding out from a bunch of dirty cops and a psychotic dope dealer in a whorehouse so law and order has basically been thrown out the window," Victoria said.

"Mom, we should bring everybody else here too," Henry suggested.

One of the main reasons besides Henry for convincing Regina to stay in Miami was that she had gotten a reprieve from the two idiots and that lush Hook. Unfortunately when her son made a request, she couldn't refuse him. She glanced over at Emma. "It will be your responsibility to keep Hook in line."

"He and I need to talk anyway. No sense putting it off. What are we going to do about our reservations back in Vegas? And can we even get out with that shield up?"

"We can get out and only those of our choosing can get in. I'll take care of everything back in Vegas. Once all this blows over and we get things settled back home I want to go back. What do you say?"

Emma smiled. "You're actually great to party with."

Regina laughed. "So are you."

Henry smiled. His mothers becoming friends was a dream of his since the curse had been broken and slowly a friendship had developed between the two of them. He believed it began in Neverland. Peter Pan was a demented man who tried to tear his family apart but all he did was bring them closer together. He didn't expect his Grandpa Rumple and Hook to ever be friends, they were both too stubborn. His grandfather at least attempted to be civil thanks to Belle's influence.

"Regina, I'll go with you to get my parents and Hook. Tink, would you mind staying with Henry til we get back?"

"Not at all," Tink answered. It would give her a chance to spend more time with him anyway, something she'd wanted to do since she and Bae started dating. She took Henry's hand in hers as Emma and Regina vanished in a cloud of purple smoke. "So," she said to the boy. "I've been seeing on your Facebook page that you've turned into quite a gambler. How about you teach me how?"

"Great! You wanna come Grandpa, Belle?"

"I'd love to Henry but I'm very tired. Perhaps later after I've rested," Rumple answered.

"I'll join you later," Belle said softly, glancing over at Channon. She was keeping up a brave front yet Belle understood the older woman's agony well. She herself lived it the entire time Rumple was in Neverland, the nagging fear that their goodbye had been the last one despite her hopes plaguing her.

Channon escorted the couple to their room on the second floor. It wasn't as large as their honeymoon suite back at McDermott Manor but Rumple didn't care. He was exhausted and the bed was inviting.

"Belle, could you please get my pajamas out of our suitcase," he murmured as he sat down on the edge of the bed to remove his jacket, vest, shirt and tie, a difficult task when he was barely able to keep his eyes open. Belle retrieved his black silk pajamas from the suitcase and placed them beside him while she helped him change. "I hate this. Shouldn't have to wait on me..."

She giggled. "You never minded it when we lived in the Dark Castle."

"Didn't care then," he muttered as he crawled under the covers.

"Oh, yes you did," she teased.

"Okay I did," he agreed. "Don't let me sleep all day. Need to spend some time with Henry...and you..."

"Darling, you've used a lot of magic in the last two days and you need your rest. Henry will understand. And we have the rest of our lives to catch up." She leaned down and kissed him. "I love you, Rumple."

"Love you too," he said and moments later he was asleep.

"Is he all right?" Channon asked when Belle spotted her waiting out in the hallway.

"He will be once he gets some sleep and Bae returns his magic to him."

"Wait...what?"

"Bae doesn't have magic. Rumple gave him his and as long as he has it, his father is in a weakened state which is why Bae wanted him and the rest of us hidden away for protection. My husband, with his magic, is one of the most powerful sorcerers in all the realms. He was much more powerful than he is now because he was under a curse but that curse made him do terrible things."

Channon smiled. "I think I'd like to hear the real story of Beauty and the Beast...if you want to tell it."

"And I'd like to hear your story."

While they were walking down the hall to Channon's suite Belle was stunned when a woman wearing a skimpy school uniform approached them. Channon snorted with disgust. "Rose! _What part of we are in lockdown do you not get!_ Take that damned outfit off and change into something else. We have three kids and two vice cops in the place and the last thing they need to see is that! And Anderson better not be here or you'll be on a week suspension without pay faster than you can say spanking!" she threatened.

"Oooh is Neal's daddy here?"

"Yes but you'd better keep your hands to yourself or his wife will push your ass off the balcony."

"Nothing that drastic but I will break her fingers," Belle said.

"The outfit...change it NOW!" Channon barked.

"Okay, okay, I'm goin," Rose mumbled.

Snow and David sat at the kitchen table pouring themselves two more cups of strong black coffee. From the moment Regina, Emma and Henry vanished and they read Henry's update about his father being in jail, they were concerned for their family and could barely sleep through the night. Hook, however, still smarting after his argument with Emma spent most of his time in the room, waiting until after Snow and David went to sleep before sneaking down to the Floating Lounge. They hadn't even realized he was gone until they received a call from security to collect him. Now he was back in his room sleeping off the worst hangover he had in decades.

Suddenly the door opened and Emma and Regina walked in. Snow jumped off her seat and threw her arms around her daughter.

"Emma, thank God! We've been so worried." she exclaimed.

"Is everything okay?" David asked.

"I wish I could say it was a false alarm but its not," Regina answered. "Right now we're in sanctuary at a whorehouse of all places while Neal is trying to help the Miami Beach police apprehend a drug dealer he used to work for."

"WHAT?!" the Charmings asked in unison.

"It's true," Emma confirmed. "The bastard tried to have us killed in the police station. Thank God those three cops helped get us the hell out of there and Regina and Rumple have a shield on the whorehouse so no one but whomever they choose can get in. And...honestly the place doesn't even look like a whorehouse but that's because the owner made her people clean it up before we got there."

"Why are you in a whorehouse of all places?" David asked.

"Apparently the woman who runs it has as much power in the town as the drug dealer does so he doesn't cross her. I guess you can call her the Regina of Miami."

Regina beamed. "Anyway, the reason why we're here is that Henry wants us all there together and I don't like to disappoint my son. The upside is that the place actually has a casino so we can occupy our time there while everyone else does...whatever."

"Regina..you paid so much money for this trip..." Snow began.

"Oh we'll be coming back here after everything settles down and I've already gotten us checked out. Now where is Hook?"

"Sleeping off a hangover," David muttered.

"You were supposed to be keeping an eye on him!" Emma cried.

"He gave us the slip after we went to sleep."

"Oh, that's just great!" Emma grumbled as she stormed up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door. The others watched with amusement as the drunken pirate received a lethal dose of Emma's wrath. When they came back downstairs, the man looked like he'd been run through a wringer and hung out to dry and there was no sympathy for him whatsoever and he wasn't in the clear yet. They spent the next hour packing their things. Once they were finished, Regina cast a spell to send them back to the Oasis and the rooms they would be staying in. The five of them took one last look at the grand suite that had been their home away from home and vanished.

"You won again Tink! Good job!" Henry cheered while the fairy wrapped her hands around the poker chips and moved them over to her end of the table.

"I like this better than playing the slots...more of a challenge," she confessed as she dealt them another hand. "I might suggest to Blue that we make one of our fundraising events a gambling theme. They haven't had much luck with them in the past from what I understand."

"That's a great idea! I can help."

Tink smiled. "Henry, there's something else I do want to talk to you about."

"Okay."

"Your father and me...are you sure you're all right with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because he's not with your mom."

"I know but I like you. Even Hook when he's not being a jerk about Grandpa Rumple. I know Grandpa did a lot of bad things during his curse but so did Hook and he wasn't cursed but he acts like he didn't."

"Them making a truce is going to take some time Henry. Just don't give up hope that it will happen and you might be surprised," she said confidently.

"I just wish Mom could find a true love too."

"Regina has another one. Unfortunately he is back in the Enchanted Forest and she would need a portal to get there."

"Ariel got here without one. Maybe Mom can turn into a mermaid and go there."

"Hmmm...I do remember her saying once that she enchanted a bracelet Ariel wears to change her fins from legs and it turned Snow into a mermaid temporarily."

"That would be cool!"

"And what if…one of us has a child?"

"I've always wanted a brother or sister," was the boy's reply. "But I don't think Regina can have one...can she?"

Tink wasn't certain how to answer the boy's question, though she did know what the correct answer was. Regina was barren by her own choice through a spell in the book Rumplestiltskin had given to her and her mother, cast not long after she married Snow White's father. She despised her husband and the thought of bringing another child of his blood into the world disgusted her. As far as Tink knew the spell was irreversible.

"It's her choice whether she wants to or not," she finally answered. "But I wouldn't count on it Henry since she's given all of her love to you."

"And I doubt Emma wants to have another kid so it may all be up to you."

She laughed. "Your father and I have to get married first and he hasn't asked me yet."

_If he even does because if there is a chance Alexis Green is still alive, he'll want to go back to her,_ she thought sadly.

Even Snow, David and Hook were forced to admit that the Oasis did not look like a brothel. Regina kindly reminded them again that Channon forced her staff to make the place appear legitimate to them and that it had its own casino so that they could continue their gambling quest. Emma was also looking forward to spending more time with Regina. They bonded briefly in Neverland but that was because they were on a quest to find their son. Back in Storybrooke both of them were too busy to be able to take a night and cut loose. All that changed in Vegas. Now they were starting to become friends. The two women entered the casino room and spotted Tink and Henry at a poker table.

"Henry's quite the card shark," Tink said.

"I taught him well," Regina said proudly. "Room for two more?"

"Always. You wanna join us guys?" Tink asked Snow, David and Hook.

"Why not." David said as he and Snow joined them. Hook hesitated for a moment then pulled up a chair beside David.

"I'm warning you though...Henry will take your money."

"This is a lovely room," Belle said softly as she studied the unusual decor of Channon's sitting room. Draped over two sofas and the loveseat were large wool blankets made to resemble the flags of Scotland, Ireland and England.

"I think of it as a tribute to my mixed heritage. I'm Scottish, English and Irish. My accent isn't as strong as it used to be because I've lived here for twenty years but my brother's is because he spends half the year in Scotland. Your husband, oddly enough has a bit of a Scottish accent. How is that possible?" Channon asked as she sat down beside her and set a tray with a tea service and muffins on the coffee table.

"We were brought here by a curse Regina cast and she gave us false memories along with it. Rumple's are of growing up in Scotland...a place called Glasgow."

"Ahh, that explains it. Glasgow is in the Lowlands while Perth, where Jamie and I were born is in the Highlands. We're considered the bastard branch of the English family we're descended from...the Whitmores because running a whorehouse has been our business for centuries. My gran Fiona runs our house in Scotland so she had Jamie and I taught everything we know about the business. Beth actually opened this place before she met Jamie but he taught her how to run it properly. She eventually turned it over to me. But...I'll tell my story after you tell yours."

"The place where we're from is called the Enchanted Forest. Rumple used to be a wool spinner with no magic in a small village hundreds of miles from my father's holdings. We'd always had a problem with ogres, they would destroy our villages and towns and kill everyone and every capable man was called to fight them. Rumple was still young when he got called to the first Ogre War."

"Do those ogres look like Shrek?"

"No...and much more vicious. They are as tall as giants. While Rumple was with the army to fight the ogres he met a Seer who told him he was going to be a father and his actions in battle would leave his son without a father. He ahhh...crippled his leg so that they would send him home and was branded a coward by his village and his wife no longer wanted anything to do with him and left him for Captain Hook but he was with Bae and the was all that mattered but the ogres were still menacing the land when Bae was about to turn fourteen and they wanted him to fight."

"A kid?! That's insane! What did your husband do?"

"He was tricked into becoming the new Dark One, the most powerful sorcerer in all the known lands...and for a long time, Rumple was feared by everyone and with good reason. The curse on him made him do horrible things, even refuse to come here with Bae."

"He abandoned his son in a world the boy didn't know?"

"And regretted it immediately. He spent centuries trying to find a way to come here but the curse he needed demanded a price he couldn't pay. Before that...the ogres were destroying my homeland. We were desperate and my father thought our only hope was to call on the Dark One since he ended the first war. He came and his price for protecting my town...was me. He said he needed a caretaker for his castle but I realized not long after I arrived that he was lonely." She held up her necklace. "This is an actual tea cup I dropped and chipped the first day I was in his castle. He was telling me my duties and said one of them was to skin the children he hunted for their pelts...it was a quip. A bad one, but it was."

"He's lucky you didn't dump hot tea on his balls 'cause that's what I woulda done!" Channon said and laughed. "I'm sure you were frightened."

"Oh, I was but the longer I was in the castle, the more I saw of the man behind the monster. Everything changed the day I was trying to open the curtains. I fell off the ladder and he caught me in his arms and held me for a minute or two and we looked at each other. I...I'd never felt that way before, even with my betrothed."

"Like your insides were turning to mush? Oh yes, I've had that feeling...only twice but I've had it. The first time was with my cousin's best friend. The second time...was when I met Diego for the first time."

"Rumple opened up to me a bit after that but then he asked me to go to town to get him some straw, thinking I wouldn't come back. I wasn't going to until I met Regina on the road and talked to her. Then I realized I was in love with Rumple. She suggested I kiss him to try to break his curse. She wanted it done to weaken him since he was her rival and me...if it did work then I would know he loved me as I loved him. I returned that night and kissed him. He started changing back to the man he was before he got cursed but when I mentioned meeting Regina he became enraged, accusing me of betraying him and throwing me out of his castle. Regina captured me as I was going back to him and kept me a prisoner, telling Rumple I died. He kept this teacup to remind him of me."

"How did you get back together?"

"The Mad Hatter rescued me from the asylum Regina was holding me in Storybrooke and gave me Rumple's address. I didn't remember who he was until the curse broke. I lost my memory again when Hook shot me and I fell over the town line and became my cursed persona...a drunk and loose woman named Lacey. As her I encouraged Rumple's dark side rather than try to help him overcome it. Rumple gave me a potion to get my memory back but it was when someone set off a magical device Regina had that would destroy the town and kill everyone in it. He thought his son was dead too. That was the first time I ever saw him look so broken and I didn't know what I could do for him. I wondered for days afterwards if it was the right decision to make given the situation."

Channon had her suspicions of what _it_ was, hell she would've done the same thing but for less noble reasons if the man in question was a certain young vice detective.

"It's not how I dreamed my first time would be..." she said and blushed. "But it was still wonderful. We slept in the same bed briefly prior to that but we never..."

"How in the _hell_ could you sleep in the same bed with him for God knows how long and not want to...?"

"We agreed that we would wait until I was ready. And Lacey...she was more interested in his money and power."

"You never touched at all?"

"Ahhh...we kissed and held each other but he always held back because he was afraid of hurting me or disappointing me as a lover. I think it was his wife who made him think that."

"Stupid bitch. Where's she?"

"Rumple...he killed her."

"Probably deserved it. I call it like I see it, or in this case, hear it. Storybrooke still exists so it wasn't destroyed but I have a feeling something else happened."

"Rumple's father took Henry and everyone else went after them. You saying goodbye to Diego on the dock today reminded Rumple and me of our goodbye before he left for Neverland."

_"Neverland?_ As in Peter Pan's Neverland?"

"Yes...that horrible manchild. I still cannot believe a man so evil fathered my Rumple."

"_Peter Pan_ is your husband's _father_? He's just a kid!"

"No, he gave Rumple away to make himself a child again and he wanted to kill Henry to keep his youth. For a time...even Rumple saw Henry as a threat but that was part of his Dark One curse. He went to Neverland willing to die to save Henry but I believed I would see him again. He did come back but Pan came with him in Henry's body ready to unleash another curse that would kill everyone Rumple loved and make the others his slaves."

"How did you stop him?"

"Rumple had to kill Pan and himself...the part that was the Dark One."

"You mean...he _died_ and was somehow brought back?"

"Yes. He still can be a bit...beastly when he wants to be but the evil in him is gone. And that is the real story of Rumple and me."

"Forget Disney! I like my fairy tales with a twist and that is one helluva twist."

"Now I believe you owe me a story," Belle reminded her with a smile.

Channon thought for a moment, wondering just how much of her story she should tell. She wasn't used to opening up to strangers yet in the brief time she'd known Belle Gold, she found the younger woman easy to talk to.

"Well, you know I'm originally from Scotland, I have an older brother named Jamie and I'm a madam but if what you're asking to hear is how Diego and I met then I have to start with your stepson and my best friend Alexis Green."

"Bae was a bodyguard for the women here?"

"Yes but the one he was closest to was Alexis." Channon handed her a framed photograph. Belle gasped.

"She looks just...like Tamara!"

"Who?"

"An awful woman who with her boyfriend Greg were sent to Storybrooke by Pan to try to destroy the town first. Then they found Henry and took him to lure Rumple and the others into Neverland. She posed as Bae's fiancee then tried to kill him. Pan probably picked her because of her resemblance to Alexis. Where is she now?"

"Probably dead," Channon croaked. "After Neal….Bae left Alexis disappeared. I didn't know where she was until she called me years ago and told me she was in jail…arrested during a prostitution sting. I went to bail her out and give the cop who arrested her a piece of my mind. As it turns out, it was Diego. He was still a rookie then but I guess Lexie reminded him a lot of his mom and for a while we both were working to get her away from Willie Roasch and be a singer like she wanted to be. Since he was a vice cop and I had just taken over running the Oasis I knew he should've been the _last_ man to fall in love with. Plus he was younger. Up until then I was only interested in older men...like my cousin's best friend. I worshipped him for years but he eventually met someone else...he's not with her now but he's still carrying a torch and our breakup hurt. After that I stuck to one night stands and brief but guarded affairs. But there was one night while we were at my apartment waiting for Lexie to come home and needless to say…things got a little heated...at least on my end and Diego got pissed, thinking I was trying to seduce him to get his squad off our backs or get Lexie a better deal in her case."

"Like Rumple thinking I was working for the queen..." Belle mused. "You asked him to leave, didn't you?"

"I had to. I was humiliated. After that...anytime we saw each other we ended up getting in arguments but Lexie, before she disappeared again told me that he and I would have to deal with each other sooner or later and today when he kissed me...I wanted to believe it's because he loved me, that he _loves_ me and doesn't just want to sleep with me."

"Like I said...you should've felt it in his actions but my husband would know for certain what the truth is."

"How?"

"Because when he removed Diego's heart to show him how he could use its memories to reveal truths the mind hides he saw something about you in it and told him to tell you how he felt before he didn't get the chance to."

"Your husband took Diego's heart out of his body...literally..and he's still _alive_?"

"He didn't hurt him," Belle said defensively.

"No, it doesn't look like it but..." The other woman cringed then quickly regained her composure. "Never mind. He did say he'd been wanting to kiss me for a long time...but I..."

"Didn't want it to end there," Belle finished. "That was exactly how I felt that day in Rumple's shop. It was not the right time for that, I knew it wasn't but we'd been apart for so long and if we were going to die, I wanted my last memory to be of being in his arms, of giving myself to him completely." She took Channon's hands in hers. "You'll have your moment too, Channon. Believe in the strength of your love and it will happen."

They talked for a good bit of the morning until Belle noticed Channon was having a difficult time keeping her eyes open and the other woman finally agreed that she would get some sleep. She also wanted to check on her husband. She would have preferred that he spend the day sleeping only he would be beastly if he wasn't awakened to spend time with her and Henry like he'd promised. When she entered their suite she saw him in the sitting room still dressed in his pajamas while Henry was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table dealing out cards to both of them.

"Okay now Grandpa...look at your hand and tell me what you have."

"Ummmm...two sevens."

"Now look at the cards showing," Henry instructed pointing at the cards he'd lined up on the coffee table.

"An ace, a four, a king, a queen and a seven."

"These are the community cards. They can be played with what you have in your hand so you have three sevens or three of a kind."

Henry turned over the two cards he had in his hand. "I have an ace and a queen so I have two pairs."

"That means you win."

"No, you do. Three of a kind beats two pair."

"I see you two are having fun," Belle said softly as she kissed her husband and ruffled Henry's hair.

"Henry is teaching me how to play poker."

"You want to learn, Belle?"

"I'd love to," she said as she sat next to Rumple. She knew he was worried about his son but spending time with his grandson would help.

**Author's Notes: Sorry about the long wait dearies but the next chapter is going to be intense as Bae and Diego face Roasch and how will Bae handle having magic. Will he be tempted by its darkness like his father was? **


	16. Miami: Blood and Heart Magic

Bae and Diego met up with deputy district attorney Miles Ashman at his home, relating the details of the planned ambush on the Gold family in the cellblock and the warning Bae received before his arrest hours earlier. With Ashman and Diego listening in, Bae called another of Roasch's clubs looking for him. At first the man who answered refused to put his employer on the phone.

"It's been a long time, Neal."

"My name is Baelfire."

"Whatever. So who else is there...let me see...must be Diego Rivera. Am I right?"

"You know me Cockroach...always waiting to rid this town of another pest." Diego said sarcastically.

"Yet we all have something in common...a fondness for whores," Roasch taunted.

"Where's Alexis, you son of bitch?!" Bae hissed, wanting to reach through the phone and strangle him.

"You want to see her, you come down to The Prime Catch...may as well bring Rivera with you and make it a family reunion."

"You're nothing to me, asshole," Diego sneered.

"See you soon," Roasch laughed and hung up.

Before their departure, both men were fitted with recording devices. Diego was used to wearing on, having done so for years in his undercover work while Bae felt uneasy having something attached to his body that could fail at any moment which was why before he and Diego departed the Oasis, he'd worked out a foolproof backup plan with his father that he would only reveal to Diego once they left Ashman's office. Bae trusted him about as much as he did every other law enforcement offical besides the Stooges...not at all. Once Diego and Bae were outside and back in the boat, Bae reached inside his shirt and removed the bug.

"What are you doing? We need that!"

"No we don't. You know and I know he's going to search both of us the minute we walk into that club and since he's an ex-cop, he'll be thorough. We'll get what we need, just not in any way he expects." He reached into his pocket and took out a set of keys with a keychain in the shape of an old walking stick dangling from them. He removed the keychain and cupped it in his hand.

"What is that?"

"My father's old walking stick, miniaturized but it's still his. After he became the Dark One he enchanted objects that would become magical when he or anyone of his bloodline handled them and useless to anyone else. See these notches...he was tracking my growth with them."

"Okay, so how is a mini walking stick going to help us?"

"After everything you've seen how can you still have your doubts?" they heard Rumple's voice saying.

"W...Where the hell is that coming from?" Diego asked. Bae gestured to the keychain in his palm. "There's no way!"

"You have everything set up over there, Tink?"

"We just need an object that casts a reflection. Do either of you have anything like that?"

"I don't but maybe he does. Empty your pockets," he said to Diego. The detective rolled his eyes and started tossing objects onto the seat, his wallet, keys a crushed pack of Camel Menthols and a silver cigarette lighter. Bae picked up the lighter, smiling when he saw a brief reflection in it.

"Did you find something, Bae?" his father asked.

"Diego's lighter...it's silver."

"All right...now enchant it so that once it is confiscated it will be nothing more than a cigarette lighter to them but it still will allow us to see what is happening and you will need to perform the same spell on my walking stick," Rumple instructed.

"I...don't know if I can.."

"Yes you can. You got me out of Pandora's Box, didn't you?"

"Yeah..."

"Feel it Bae and make it happen."

Bae cupped the cigarette lighter in his hands and concentrated. Diego watched with amazement as he saw beams of white light through the other man's fingers. When he opened them again the light was gone and the lighter was still the same.

That's my boy! We can see you!" Rumple said proudly. "Now, do the same with my walking stick. The spell you're using not only makes the objects useless to Roasch, he won't be able to destroy them either."

"_I_ feel useless," Diego muttered while Bae performed the spell on the keychain. "You're doing all the work here."

"You're wrong Diego. Bae is not used to performing magic and the more powerful the spells he uses, the more energy he consumes. That's why you've seen me collapse several times. Since my son has my magic temporarily, he is bound to the same restrictions I am and if his strength falters you know what to do. I'm trusting you with his safety if that happens."

"Mr. Gold...if anything happens to me...tell Channon I love her and I'm sorry I was such an ass to her all these years."

"What? You can't tell me yourself?" he heard Channon demand angrily.

"Oh Jesus, is she there?" he moaned.

"No, I'm upstairs banging the seventh fleet! Where the hell do you think I am? You are coming back Diego Rivera because you have to finish what you started. And if you can...find out where Lexie is."

"You knew Alexis Green?" Bae asked him. The detective nodded.

"She's the reason Channon and I met in the first place. I busted her during one of our prostitution stings and although she hadn't spoken to Channon in a while, Alexis called her to bail her out of jail. For a while she straightened out...then she got back in with Willie again. I'll find her, Chan."

"I should be there with you," Rumple said sadly.

"Papa, we've discussed this. You need to be there with Belle and my son."

"If you get in a bind Bae, _I'm_ coming in and you are not stopping me!" Tink said firmly.

"She's as stubborn as Channon," Diego muttered.

"I heard that!" Channon shouted.

"Just be careful Bae," his father cautioned.

When they arrived at The Prime Catch, neither man was surprised to see that the club was open for business despite having been raided the night before.

"Dipshit One and Dipship Two, we have an appointment with Roasch," Diego informed the bouncers at the door.

"Really, Rivera? You finally coming to your senses? Hell's gonna freeze over."

"You gonna let us in or stand here bullshitting?" Bae demanded.

"Oh, he's looking forward to seeing you..._rat." _

_He's looking forward to seeing Neal Cassidy...not Baelfire...son of the most powerful mage in all the realms. _

When they entered Roash's office, Bae couldn't help remembering how much the drug lord reminded him of his father when he was fully engrossed in being the Dark One. Roasch was lounging in his black leather office chair as always dressed in an Armani suit and had a flair for the dramatics.

"Nice suit Roasch...wonder if I can ruin that one too," Diego sneered.

"Just because you got the drop on me once, don't think you can do it again. Hello Neal. You look good for a dead man."

"Yeah well, I guess I owe that to your goons for tossing me onto a beach Channon was on instead of throwing me in the ocean like they planned. They couldn't finish the job because I was too heavy and they were too tired. Pretty lazy if you ask me."

"They made a nice dinner for the sharks," was the man's reply as he stood up. "You know the drill Diego...hands behind your head, face the wall and spread 'em. You too Neal. Search them and you better not miss one spot or you'll have another hole where there isn't supposed to be one...get my drift?" Roasch informed his two bodyguards.

"They might considering your search technique is what...twenty years out of date?" Diego taunted.

Bae grimaced as he felt a particularly sensitive part of his anatomy being squeezed. "Watch it you prick! Was that necessary?"

"Very," Roasch sneered. "You'd be surprised where I can find weapons...or bugs," he said as he held up the set of keys. "A stick keychain? Can't you guys come up with something more original," he spoke into it then dropped it on the floor, crushing it beneath his heel, or at least that was what he saw himself doing. Bae smiled as he watched the pieces of the stick reassemble then become invisible as the spell he'd woven into it took effect. The lighter dropped on the floor. As one of the guards moved to shoot it, Roasch punched him. "What are you trying to do you fucking idiot? Blow us all up? You don't shoot at lighter fluid. Jesus Christ!" He snatched up the lighter and lit a cigarette from Diego's pack while his guards shoved Diego and Bae into metal chairs and secured their wrists and ankles with prison issued shackles.

"If you're gonna kill us Roasch, just get on with it." Bae muttered.

"But it's more entertaining watching you squirm." Roasch said as he stood behind his chair. "Once I'm done with you I'm gonna find out where your family is. The old man...I'll just dump him in the ocean with you but those girls...I could make a fortune off them...especially the brunette...Belle? Is that her name?"

"My father would kill you if you got within one hundred feet of her," Bae said confidently.

"What would he do? Beat me with his cane?"

Bae chuckled. "You have no idea."

Roasch drew his gun and stood in front of his two captives. "It's hard to decide which one of you I should kill first."

Bae cringed. He'd heard the same lines from Pan as he froze him and the others on the street in Storybrooke and made them helpless to act as his father faced Pan alone. Before he could say anything Roasch fired his gun and Diego slumped over in his chair, blood on his chest. As he turned to fire a second time Bae concentrated and conjured a shield. The bullet bounced off of it and hit Roasch in the shoulder.

"What the fuck...?" he gasped.

Reaching into his father's memories Bae flicked his wrist, unlocking the chains around him and Diego. He kneeled beside the other man and waved his hand over Diego's chest, healing the bullet wound while keeping the shield over them. Roasch cursed a blue streak as he emptied the clip on his gun on it and three others.

"W...What the hell too you so long?" Diego demanded.

"I've always been afraid of using magic," he confessed.

"Oh, _now_ you tell me! _I_ should kill you!"

"Goddammit, why...can't I...kill...you...what is this fucking thing!" Rosch was screaming as he grabbed a crowbar and started pounding at the shield.

"You know..," Bae said as he and Diego stood up. "Magic," he said with a flourish reminiscent of his father's.

"Don't just stand there, you assholes. Get me something to break this thing!" Roasch yelled at his stunned bodyguards.

"You can't break it," Bae said and the shield vanished. "And you two aren't going anywhere." He flicked his wrist and the bodyguards were now sitting in the chairs they'd occupied minutes earlier with gags tied around their mouthes. "And you're not dealing with Neal Cassidy anymore." He waved his hand again and sent the drug lord crashing against the wall. Diego smiled, remembering the time he'd sent the man flying across a bar table after insulting Channon only he'd used his bare hands to do it. As Roasch lay on the floor Bae kneeled down beside him and slammed his hand into the man's chest. When he pulled it out Roasch's heart lay in his palm. "Now, you son of a bitch," he hissed as he squeezed it. _"Now you deal with the son of the Dark One!" _

"Rumple?! What's wrong?" Belle asked frantically.

Rumple stood in front of the mirror frozen in terror as he saw his son holding Roasch's heart in his hand, his eyes dark with fury, his lips curled into an evil sneer, the same look he once had as he allowed the Dark One's powers to consume him and give him the means to extract brutal revenge on those who wronged him when he was the poor wool spinner and village coward. Although when he'd heard Roasch making those comments about Belle, he wanted to crush the man's heart into dust himself.

"Don't let him become what I was...please," he prayed. Although he didn't have his magic, he had a piece of his son's heart inside him and through that he would be able to give his son the advice he himself should have heeded centuries ago.

"Where's Alexis?" Bae demanded.

"Dead," Roasch gasped. "I...ahhhh." he howled as Bae squeezed harder. It would be so easy to squeeze it until it was nothing but dust as his father had done to his mother's and Tamara's After all, Roasch deserved it for everything he'd done. Bae thought of Alexis, beautiful Alexis who just wanted someone to love her but what she'd gotten in return was years of physical and emotional abuse just as Maria Rivera had until she joined her in death and the time he beat him and left him for dead. He waved his other hand and Roasch's tongue appeared in it.

"Your father must've been one scary bastard back in you land."

"You have no idea," he murmured, now understanding why his father held onto his power for so long. With it he feared no one and those he cowered before as the crippled wool spinner were forced to cower before _him_ once he became the Dark One.

_Bae, stop. This isn't you. This is __**me**__..this is what I used to be...what you wanted to escape from. Don't repeat my mistake! _he heard his father plead in his mind.

_He deserves to die, Papa!_

_There are far worse fates than death. All magic comes with a price and dark magic demands a much higher one. _

"Get up," he commanded, squeezing the heart a bit harder. Roasch stood up. "Now...drop the gun and kick it over to Diego." He glared at them and released his grip on the gun, kicking it over to Diego's feet. Diego kneeled down to pick it up.

"How long before that wears off?" he asked worriedly, indicating the heart.

"It doesn't until I give him his heart back," Bae answered.

"Well, don't hurry on my account."

"I don't plan to. Put your cuffs on him."

Diego smirked as he retrieved his handcuffs from Willie's desk and fastened them around his wrists.

"Now, you take us to where Alexis and Maria are buried!" Bae demanded. He continued to glare at them as he led them downstairs and into the basement of the club. He stopped in the middle of the room and pointed. "I need you to hold these a minute," Bae said to Diego.

"What? No fucking way!" Diego protested as he glanced down at the tongue and heart in Bae's hands. "Can't you just...make them disappear?"

"The tongue I could but he's going to need it when he confesses. And we need to keep his heart out of his body to maintain control over him. I need my hands free to do a spell that will dig a hole in this spot. We told Channon we'd find Alexis and I know you want to find your mother."

"Yeah. Can you just...please put them in something so I don't have to look at them," he pleaded. Bae summoned a wooden box. It hovered in front of him as he placed the heart and tongue inside. The box floated into Diego's hands. "You getting tired?"

"Yeah...but should have just enough energy left for this." He began to sway. "Umm...maybe not..."

Back at the Oasis, Tink waved her wand over herself and Rumple. They vanished in a cloud of green dust.

"Bae, you better sit down," Diego said.

"Can't...gotta find Alexis..and make sure he doesn't escape."

"Leave him to me," they heard Rumple say from behind them and he took the box from Diego's hands.

"Papa...why are you here? I told you not..."

Rumple gently placed his hand over his son's chest and Bae's on his own, returning his magic back to him. Tinkerbell pointed her wand at the spot where Roasch had been standing and a hole appeared in it, revealing a pile of skeletal remains. Diego choked back a sob and looked away as did Bae. She carefully removed the bodies and placed them on blue silk cloths.

"What do you want me...to do?"

"Alexis...she wanted to be cremated...and so did my mother. I have to take Alexis's ashes back to Channon," Diego said sadly. "They made a promise to each other on what to do if one outlived the other..."

Rumple waved his hand and a chain came down from the ceiling to wrap itself around Roasch's ankles, suspending him in the air. With another wave of his hand, Roasch's heart appeared in his palm.

"You're damned lucky I'm not the Dark One anymore because you'd be dead right now for what you've done to my son..._and your own_," he hissed as he squeezed the heart tightly. "But there are far worse fates than death and yours...is going to be interesting to say the least. We could make you give a full confession to the police and plea bargain your case..but you'll just find a way to work the system so that you can get out. This is the only way I can be certain you never harm another member of my family again."

He opened the box and shoved Roasch's heart back into his body and replaced his tongue. Seconds later a cloud of purple smoke surrounded the prisoner leaving only an empty chain and below it a glass jar. Rumple picked it up and took it over to Diego.

"What is that?" he asked. He peeked inside. "A cockroach?"

"I thought it fitting that he should become what you've always called him. This jar is enchanted Diego and it can only be opened by you. You can let him out to ahh...talk if you wish."

"I don't have anything to say to him. But how are we gonna explain...?"

"He's chained upstairs with one of his guards...at least that is what it will look like to everyone but us."

"Huh?"

"An illusion spell and they'll have no memory of anything they've seen involving magic."

"Bae used a lot of magic and he's tired...why aren't you yet?"

"Because I've used it for centuries and have more control over it. Don't worry...it will catch up with me here in a bit." They walked over to where Tink and Bae waited with the remains of Alexis Green and Maria Rivera.

"I can't look at her like that...I just can't..." Diego moaned.

"Papa...can you...cremate them?" Bae pleaded.

"Was it their wish, Bae?" he asked softly. His son nodded.

"I'll do it, Rumple," Tink offered. "You've both used a lot of magic today. I just need you to conjure the urns for me."

Two urns appeared on the floor before the fairy. She pointed her wand at the remains wrapped in cloth and they both burst into flames. Bae and Diego watched with tears in their eyes as the remains of the two women they both loved burned to ashes that floated into the two gold urns.

"Let me take this until we get back to the Oasis," Rumple said as he reached for the glass jar containing the insect formerly known as Willie Roasch while Tink handed Diego the urns containing the ashes. They heard sirens wailing outside and ascended the stairs to speak to the officers that were arriving.

Belle and Channon had just fallen asleep in the lobby after spending most of the night awake wondering what was happening to their loved ones. They hadn't been able to see anything after Diego and Bae left Roasch's office except one of the chained guards was made to look like the dealer. Belle had smiled recognizing her husband's handiwork.

Channon awoke to warm lips pressing down on hers. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Diego standing over her.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty," he teased. She threw her arms around him and pulled him down to her, returning his kiss.

"Rumple," Belle greeted softly as she was awakened by her husband's kiss. "Bae," she greeted as she sat up and embraced her stepson. "Did you take care of that bastard?" she asked her husband. He pointed to the glass jar on the coffee table. She giggled. "What did you turn him into?"

"What Diego calls him...a cockroach."

"Did you find Alexis...and his mother?"

They looked over at the other sofa where Diego and Channon sat, Channon sobbing quietly as she held the urn containing her friend's remains while Diego held his mother's. "Thank you," she croaked as her eyes met Rumple's and Tink's. "All of you."

"You're welcome, Channon."

"Diego...can you...take me to Daytona?" she asked him.

"That's where she wanted her remains to go?"

Channon nodded. "Bae...you should go with us...it's what she would've wanted."

"We'll all go," Rumple said softly.

Diego, Channon and Bae stood on the shores of Daytona Beach, Channon holding the urn that contained Alexis's ashes, while Diego held the urn that contained his mother's. Rumple, Belle and Tink waited on the beach, giving them the privacy the three of them would need for such a difficult task.

"Diego, baby, do you want to go first?" Channon asked softly. He nodded and walked into the water with his mother's urn in his hand. He lifted the lid and poured the ashes into the ocean.

"I did it Mom...I brought you back home just like I promised you I would and someday I hope when I go up there with you we can build another sandcastle. I...I love you, Mom," he sobbed.

From his place on the beach Rumple summoned the urn to him. He waved his hand over it and engraged Maria Rivera's name on it along with the dates of her birth and death and the image of a unicorn, her personal symbol.

"Rumple, that's lovely," Belle said as she studied the elegant design.

"I don't have anything like this for my own mother. I never knew her," he confessed sadly. "Just dropped me off on Papa's doorstep and took off. It's why he hated me so much because he wasn't much older than Victoria's boy when he had to take care of me."

Belle wrapped her arms around him. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because I haven't thought about it in so long. I didn't think about it until he and I were alone in my shop and he basically told me he no remorse for everything he'd done because I was the reason why he did it in the first place. He just didn't want to be a father. Had he had the courage back then I've no doubt he would've killed me as a babe as Roasch would've killed Diego had he known the truth from the beginning."

"You care for him."

"He's become another son to me and like my own son, I'm going to do everything I can to protect him." He reached into his chest and took out his heart, waving his hand over it to cast the division spell. He smiled softly as he saw another glowing white piece hovering in the air waiting to be claimed. He handed the urn to Belle and cupped the piece in his hand.

"Diego," he said softly and opened his hand to release it.

"Are you ready guys?" Channon asked, still holding Alexis's urn.

"What is that?" Diego asked softly as he pointed at a white orb floating in front of him.

Bae smiled and turned to look back at his father who stood with his divided heart in his hand, nodding.

"Reach out and take it. It won't hurt you." Bae instructed.

"But what is it?"

"You'll see."

Diego grasped the orb in his hands and an image of Rumple standing on the beach with his mother's urn appeared before his eyes.

_"You care for him." _

_"He's become another son to me and like my own son, I'm going to do everything I can to protect him." _

_I know I'm not your father Diego, but like a father, I will protect you with all I have,_ he heard Rumple saying in his mind. _And this is how I can. If you ever need me, I'll be able to find you...whereever you are. _

The young man smiled. "Now what do I do?"

"Hold it to your heart. It'll hurt for a little bit but it has to while it merges with yours to connect you to him."

"You mean...Diego will have a piece of Rumple's heart inside him like you do?" Channon asked.

"Yeah...my father considers him part of our family otherwise he never would've done this."

"Well, here goes," Diego said as he pressed the orb against his chest. He did feel a slight burning sensation that faded quickly. He opened his hand and saw that the orb was now glowing red.

"Now let it return to Papa," Bae said.

Diego turned around, glanced up at the older man standing on the beach above him and released the orb. It floated over to where Rumple stood with his heart in his hand and merged with it. Rumple returned his heart to his chest and waved down at them.

"Okay, now we're ready, Chan." he said. The three of them stepped into the water, Channon still holding Alexis's urn. From his place on the beach Rumple waved his hand and removed the lid. They reached inside and grabbed a handful of the ashes of the woman who had without intending to, brought three strangers together to form a bond as strong as family.

"We made a promise on this beach that if one of us outlived the other that we'd bring each other's ashes here. I always thought I would be the one to go first. I _wanted_ to be the one to go first," Channon sobbed. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you Lexie...but I'll always love you..."

"After I left Emma behind I never thought I'd love anyone else again but then I met you and you made me believe it was possible. I used to criticize my father for being a coward but I was one too. Instead of staying and fighting for you, I just let you go and I'll spend the rest of my life regretting it. But I think you wouldn't want me to spend the rest of my life alone either and I'm not going to but I'll never forget you, Lexie," Bae said softly.

"When I saw you that night on the strip, Lexie, I saw my mother and I didn't want you to end up like she did. That's why I tried so hard to get you off the street. I didn't understand why you went back before but now I do. You wanted to see Willie brought down for everything he did to all of us and I'd like to think you're sitting up there with a black cherry wine cooler celebrating because that son of a bitch is where he belongs because we all put him there...together just like you wanted. I''ll miss you, Lex."

They opened their hands and let the ashes fall, dissolving as they hit the water.

"She may have helped them bring a madman to justice but she also gave them something far more important," Rumple said to Belle. "She gave them each other."

When Bae, Diego and Channon rejoined them, Tink waved her wand to return them back to the Oasis.


	17. Miami: A Home Away From Home

While Belle, Tinkerbell, Snow and Channon spent the next day shopping for baby items, Bae, Diego, Henry, David Hook Regina and Emma spent the day cruising the casinos on the beach. Rumple had his own projects to attend to but when his family asked him what they were, all he would do was smile and say that it was a surprise. While he was in the limousine being driven to his destination he made a call to check on the progress of his project in Storybrooke.

"Everything's going great with the shop Rumple," Wendy assured him. "We returned all the nonmagical Enchanted Forest items to their owners here and the ones that weren't claimed we packed up and stored in the basement of the shop. All your magical items Blue has stored in the closet back at the house under the cloaking spell. Jon went to three auctions in New York and all the items he bought are being delivered today. Michael's taking care of the book orders. We have the shelves put up but we'll let Belle decide what goes where."

"Sounds promising so far. Is the sign done yet?"

"Gipetto brought it over today and the parking lot was just finished this morning. Is there anything else we need to do?"

"No. You've done a fine job...all of you."

"We're here Mr. Gold," Jimmy announced as he brought the car to a stop in the driveway in front of a three story mansion that was for sale in Juno Beach. The real estate agent was waiting for him as he stepped out of the car.

"Good morning, Mr. Gold," she greeted as she held out her hand.

"Good morning Ms. Franklin."

"I see you didn't bring your family with you."

"I'd like to tour the house myself first if that is agreeable with you."

"Of course. When we spoke on the phone you said that you have a home in Maine and were interested in buying a home in this area to reside in during the summer months."

"My wife enjoys her New England winters and I don't want to deprive her of that. However, if she decides she'd like to make Florida our permanent home I'll be selling the house in Maine."

"I'm sure you'll find this house suitable, Mr. Gold," Ms. Franklin said confidently.

They started on the first floor. There were two swimming pools, an outdoor and an indoor pool as well as a spa and cabana. There was also a ballroom, an odd addition to a house built only ten years earlier. The real estate agent explained that the previous owners used it to host charity events as well as a dining room as large as his own in the Dark Castle. She then showed him the study, the library (which was too small in his opinion) living room, sitting room and kitchen and laundry room before they started up the stairs.

"Mr. Gold...are you sure you want to.."

"I can get up the stairs just fine, Ms. Franklin," he assured her. It would hurt like hell once he got to the top and he would have to rest a few minutes before they continued the tour. He made a mental note that if he purchased the house he would invest in a lift that he would need to use during cold days when his leg ached so badly he could barely move it. The real estate agent was kind enough to allow him to rest for a few minutes before they continued their tour of the second level. There were twelve bedrooms on the second floor, each with its own full bath, sitting room and walk in closets, more than enough rooms for his growing family with extra bedrooms in case they had guests stay over and each room had an entrance to the balcony.

She then took him to the third level of the house where there were three more bedrooms with full baths and sitting rooms. The other rooms on the level were empty but he was certain he or Belle could make use of them. Bae often mentioned that they should have a game room in the Victorian and he was still trying to figure out how to do another expansion on his house that wouldn't infuriate his neighbors. At least if he purchased this mansion he would have plenty of room to accommodate everyone and everything. By the time the tour was finished his decision was made. The mansion was perfect and would be the perfect escape during the summer months.

"Ms. Franklin, do you have any appointments this afternoon?"

"No."

"If you don't mind I'd like to come back with my family. I would like to purchase the house..if they're in agreement and the price is reasonable given what I've seen."

"Wonderful."

"I'll ring you and let you know what time we'd like to be here."

When he returned to the Oasis Belle was waiting for him in the bedroom to show him all the items she bought.

"Sweetheart...ahhh..we can't take all _that_ on the plane!"

"Umm...there's more."

"More? What did you do, buy out the whole store?"

"Are you upset, Rumple?" she asked worriedly.

"No, no...I'm just trying to decide how we're going to get all this back to Storybrooke...unless we don't need to."

"What do you mean?"

"Sweetheart, how would you feel about living here?"

"Well, its a beautful place...but I'd never have my winters again," she said sadly.

"What about the summer months?"

"I think that would be lovely. Wait a moment...you've already thought of this, haven't you?"

He nodded. "I've found a house I feel is perfect. It's not in Miami but in a beach near here called Juno but I don't want to make a final decision until you've all seen the house."

"Can you afford it? Rumple, we'd need a mansion if you want all of us to stay here and those run in the millions!"

"You forget, dearie, I've accumulated three hundred years of wealth. The price of this house wouldn't even make a dent in our finances."

"Can we go today?"

"Of course. Let's round up the rest of this family and I'll call Ms. Franklin."

It took the rest of the family less than five minutes to decide the house was perfect. They would have to stay in the area until the closing but they didn't mind at all as it gave them the opportunity to finish their vacation. Regina even thought about buying a house in the same area herself. She was still debating the issue while sitting out on the dock at the Oasis when she was joined by Tink.

"What good would a home as large as the one Rumple now has be without a large family to live in it," she said sadly.

"You still have a chance to make that happen. Remember your true love?"

"You said I ruined his life."

"Maybe there's a way to make it right."

"I doubt that if he's back in our world and I'm here." she said bitterly and lowered her head.

"True love knows no boundaries...look."

Regina raised her head and gasped in shock as she saw the missing piece of her heart that she'd sent out now glowing red. Her hand trembling she reached out to grasp it and her true love now had a face and a name...one she knew well.

"Robin," she sobbed as she placed the piece back in her chest. "Oh, I wanted it to be you...I wanted it so much!"

"Who's Robin?" Tink asked.

"I don't know why I didn't make the connection before! The lion was the symbol of Leopold's army and Robin Lockhood was his best knight..and mine for a time...until I drove him away and right into the arms of my own lady in waiting. He, like Sidney knew I was unhappy in my marriage and tried to get me to see that I could be happy with him but I only used him to fill the empty space in my bed after Leopold died...the same way I used Graham. Finally he decided that he would leave the castle and he took Marian with him even though she was betrothed to Nottingham. The next thing I knew there was a band of thieves running rampant in the kingdom led by a man named Robin Hood and they only robbed my nobles. I placed a price on his head before the curse hit."

"What did you see when you held the piece of your heart in your hand?"

"He said...he said he would find me...somehow...and we would make things right together."

"We'll figure it out," Tink said softly.

Excitement was heavy in the air as the members of the extended Gold/Mills/Charming family traveled to their new summer home in Juno Beach to spend the remaining weeks of the summer there before returning to Maine. it wasn't easy for Rumple to have Hook in his house but he spent all his time with Emma much to the older man's relief and the former pirate appeared to be nervous about something. One night after everyone else was asleep Rumple went downstairs to get a drink when he found the pirate sitting alone in the living room with a bottle of rum in his hand.

"I don't understand it," the pirate said bitterly. "Why are you the only villain who gets a happy ending and the rest of us don't? What a waste this was!" he growled and tossed a velvet box onto the floor, a diamond ring falling out.

"You proposed to Emma and she turned you down?"

"Yeah..go ahead and gloat crocodile!" he challenged

"You may find this shocking Hook but I am not here to gloat," Rumple said as he sat down in his favorite chair and poured himself a glass of rum. "We may not get along but I cannot forget everything you've done for my family in the last year, even if Emma was your main reason for doing it."

"And it was all for nothing...she won't have me!"

"Has she ended your relationship or just refused your marriage proposal?"

"J...Just the proposal...said she's not ready for that kind of commitment. What's the difference? We've been living together all this time!"

"Living together and being married may seem like its the same thing but it's not. It's much harder to walk away from a marriage because there may be more than just the two of you to consider."

"Aye...you may not want to believe this, crocodile, but Milah was telling the truth when she said she regretted leaving Bae...not you though," he added.

"Also you have to remember you and Emma haven't been a couple very long and she...still has trust issues from her failed relationship with my son. MY suggestion would be to give her time and perhaps she'll change her mind," Rumple suggested.

Hook snorted and took a long drink. "Milah would scream from the depths if she saw this...me getting relationship advice from the crocodile!"

"Well if you are serious about marrying her, you might want to clean up your act!" Rumple snapped. "First, you should start with this," he said and waved his hand. The rum bottle vanished.

"What the...give that back!"

"No. You need to stop drowning your problems in the bottom of a bottle. Has it ever occurred to you that your drinking problem may be one of the reasons _why_ she turned you down?"

"Yes..."

"Then stop doing it. And another thing...find something to do!"

"Like what?"

"A job for starters! No wonder everyone in Storybrooke calls you a mooch. You've learned enough about the modern world since you've been here that you can find something to do to occupy your time besides being on the computer...even with one hand!"

"Pirating and sailing is all I know how to do."

"Well the town has a stable fishing industry. You could captain your own fishing boat or even invest in one. You have some of your treasure left over...don't you?"

"I just got a bit of it back at the casinos."

"Then put it to other uses than on booze. Look, I know how hard it is to break bad habits but if you want Emma, it has to be done. And that, Captain, is how a villain gets a happy ending," Rumple said as he stood up and walked back upstairs to leave the former pirate alone with his thoughts.

The Storybrooke residents plus six arrived back in Maine at the beginning of September. Rumple drove his wife, Tinkerbell and Bae home in the Cadillac. Regina brought Henry home in her Mercedes. Emma and Hook rode in the Bug, Snow and David in his truck while Diego, Channon, Victoria, Julianne and their teenagers followed them in a rental SVU that Rumple insisted on paying for. Emma called ahead to Storybrooke's town line where a guard station had been built in the months since they were gone and informed Leroy they be returning with outsiders that could be trusted to enter. Once word reached the rest of Storybrooke, a welcoming party quickly assembled and prepared to meet them once they arrived in the town square.

"Welcome home and Welcome to Storybrooke!" a chorus of voices rang out as soon as they stepped out of their vehicles.

The Floridians looked at each other, thinking how much the small town looked like any other in America with the exception that it was inhabited by real live fairy tale characters that looked nothing like what they'd seen in the movies.

"Come here you two!" Ruby called out as she ran over to Rumple and Belle and threw her arms around them with Ariel close at her heels. "Congratulations! When are you due?"

"We'll be visiting the doctor this afternoon to find out," Rumple answered. "But first," he said as he walked over to Diego. "I'd like you all to meet my adopted son Diego Rivera and his friends; Channon McDermott, Julianne Womack and her daughter Angelina and Victoria Morgan and her son Andre."

"Your adopted son?" Blue asked. "But...I thought you only had one son."

"Now I have two," he said proudly as he wrapped his arm around Diego's shoulders.

"Umm...Pop...who is she?"

"The Blue Fairy but here she's known as Mother Superior."

"Oh. Like Tink then."

"I'm sort of Tink's boss..." the fairy said with a laugh.

"This is so cool," Angelina said to Henry.

"Tell me about it...and I _live_ here with them."

"I know you all want to get settled in but I'm hosting a little welcome back party," Granny said. "And I don't know what the food's like in Florida but if you leave my place still hungry it's your own fault," she teased the Floridians.

"That sounds great. You coming, Pop?" Diego asked Rumple.

"Yes he is," Granny said firmly before he hand a chance to answer.

"I do have to make a trip to the shop first."

"Rumple, can't it wait?" Belle asked.

"No. He has something to show you," Wendy said with a grin.

"Wendy! Blast it all, you're going to ruin the surprise!"

"What surprise, Papa?"

"You'll see, Bae. You'll see," his father replied.

They walked down the street to Rumple's shop, everyone except for him gasping when they looked up at the sign hanging and the fresh coat of blue paint on the building itself. Prior to their depature for Florida it read: _Mr Gold: Pawnbroker and Antiquities Dealer._ Now it read: _Rumplestiltskin Gold's Collectibles and Belle's Boutique._ There was also a sign on the front door reading: Grand Opening Coming Soon!

"Oh, Rumple!" his wife cried excitedly and threw her arms around him. "You turned part of your shop into a bookstore! For me?"

"Books and whatever else suits your fancy, sweetheart. You did a great job, dearies," he said to the Darlings as he unlocked the door and led the rest of his family inside.

"We didn't put any of the books out yet Belle because we didn't know how you wanted everything arranged," Michael said.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "It just looks...beautiful!"

"You made some excellent choices Jonathan," Rumple remarked as he studied the new items that lined his own shelves and were locked inside the glass display case.

"I was a buyer in Minnesota before we were sent here," Jonathan explained. "I even thought about opening up my own place."

"Well I could use someone to help me run my portion of the shop. The job's yours."

"And I'd like someone to help me run my part of the shop too. Wendy?" Belle asked

"I'd love to!" Wendy exclaimed.

"And Michael, I understand you do quite well with ordering and bookkeeping. With double the business coming in, we'll need someone who can help us keep everything straight. Are you interested?" Rumple

"Of course I am, Rumple!" the younger man said with a smile.

"This decor is lovely. Whose idea was it?" Channon murmured.

"Mine," Bae spoke up. "That's what I was back in New York...an interior designer. Papa told me before we left that he wanted to redesign the shop to make a space for Belle to have a bookshop and get out of the pawn business so we worked on these plans and put my brothers and sister in charge of getting them completed before we got home and he and I worked on most of the designs for Avonlea."

"We already have people asking you do redo their houses and businesses, Bae. Is Avonlea the name of the house you have in Florida now?" Wendy asked Rumple.

"It certainly is and it's partially your home too now, dearie."

The Storybrooke residents, usually fearful of outsiders since the others that had come brought trouble in their wake found the Floridians to be unthreatening and were fascinated to learn more about their state that they couldn't find out through their computers, cellphones and tablets. Most of the information they gleaned from Julianne and Victoria's two teenagers and Channon and Diego. Julianne and Victoria were quiet most of the evening and as they were walking back to Granny's Bed and Breakfast they took a detour and headed for Rumple's shop instead. While he sent Belle home to rest, he went to the shop for a few hours to finish sorting through the new items he had for sale.

"Ah, ladies what can I do for you?" he asked.

"We don't know if you can help us or not but we'd like to ask you anyway," Julianne spoke up. "For years Vicki and I have been trying to find the kids' fathers but gotten nowhere. Then we remembered you telling us how you used magic to find Bae...and we were wondering if it might work on us."

"The device I have tracks a lost person using the blood of another with a blood connection to them. I would need a drop of blood from each of the children to get it to work. Can you bring them around to the shop tomorow and we'll try it?"

Early the next day Julianne and Victoria returned to the shop with their teenagers. Diego and Channon accompanied them, wanting to see if the magic would work as well.

"Angelina, let's start with you," Rumple said. Just press your finger down on the needle and let one drop fall on the globe. The magic will do the rest."

"Okay," she murmured.

As the drop of blood fell on the globe it formed a map of the continent of Europe. Rumple glanced down at it. "The blood glows the darkest in England...one specific location."

"Does it give a name?"

"Not one that I've ever heard of...Mayford."

Channon gasped. "T...That's not possible!"

"Chan, what's wrong?" Diego asked worriedly.

"Channon, does this place have any significance to you?" Rumple inquired.

"It's the name of my cousin's old estate...that place has been abandoned for centuries because we think its haunted. Why would Angelina's father be there?" she asked Julianne.

"What is your cousin's name?"

"Colin Whitmore."

"He's Angelina's father!" Julianne cried. "Are you telling me you knew where he was all this time and you didn't tell me?!"

"I didn't know he was Angelina's father...and neither does he." Channon defended.

"Well why hasn't he come to find me all these years?"

"He couldn't," Channon said sadly. "He's been in hiding...and that means that Andre's father is Drake Dennison, my cousin's best friend, isn't he Vicki?"

"Yes. Why is he in hiding, Channon?"

"Because he and Colin were both accused of being double agents and found out who the real double agent was. Before they could expose him, someone planted a bomb in Colin's car. They got away but they've been in hiding ever since."

"Double agents?! Are telling me they _were _James Bonds?"

"A lot less glamorous but yes, they both worked for MI6. And...they still love both of you. They were going to go back to Florida with you...until that car bomb...and it wasn't the first attempt either."

"Let's bring them back. Angelina and Andre have a right to see their fathers," Diego said.

"If people are after them, it's not going to be easy."

Rumple waved his hand and a scroll appeared in it along with a vial filled with liquid. He handed it to Diego. "This is the same cloaking spell we have on this town. One you retrieve the children's fathers' cast this on their location and it will shield it from anyone other than whom you wish to enter it."

"I don't know how to use magic..."

"You will. My heart memories will guide you or if you need me, call out to me and I can walk you through it." He waved his hand again and handed a second scroll to the young detective. "This is an illusion spell that alters their physical appearance to others other than those you choose to see through it."

"We…we don't know how to thank you," Julianne croaked.

"Bring those men back where they belong…their children have been without fathers long enough."

_Eight months later_

Rumple nearly jumped out of his Armani suit when he heard his cellphone ringing in his pocket, the ringtone still set to the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil.

"_Pleased to meet you _

_Hope you guess my name_

_But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game..._"

"W...What the hell was that?!" Blue gasped.

"Hope," Rumple and Belle answered in unison as they gazed down at their newborn daughter and damned if they didn't see her father's impish grin on her lips. "So that was what she meant when she said you'd see her again and only if you continued the path you were on. How is that possible, Rumple? How can our daughter be the spirit Hope from Pandora's Box?"

"I honestly don't know," he confessed and looked over the Blue Fairy for answers.

She thought for a moment. "I have to ask you both a personal question. Were you...intimate at any time prior to your departure for Neverland?" she inquired.

"May I ask why that is relevant?"

"Just answer the question Rumple. Were you...and _when_?"

"All right, yes! One time, but I still fail to see how that has any bearing on..."

"And Belle, were you...a maiden prior to this...incident?"

"Ummmm...yes.." she said nervously.

"You haven't answered one portion of my question Rumple. When did this occur?"

"The day I left! Now would you _please_ tell me why it matters and what it has to do with Hope from Pandora's Box?" Rumple cried, nearly at his wit's end with the fairy's mind games.

"I know this is difficult for both of you to discuss but knowing the full details of what happened that day will give us the answers we need about your daughter."

"What's there to talk about? I thought my son was dead. I felt guilty over waking her up to die because I thought she was all I had left and I wanted to be with her at the end."

"Blue, what is it you need to know?" Belle asked, sensing her husband was close to losing his patience and strangle the fairy.

"I need to know what _your_ feelings and actions were that day, Belle."

"At first I felt useless. The man I loved thought he lost everything and we both thought we were going to die. And while we were sitting there in the backroom of his shop I started thinking that if I was going to die, I wanted to make one last pleasant memory for both of us by giving myself to him completely."

"Well now that you've gotten all the juicy details Blue, explain!" Rumple demanded.

"You know that in our world we believe our hearts and souls are born before our physical bodies. Most of them remain in limbo until they merge with their bodies. Others are created by lovers who need them to serve either as a guardian or a guide in difficult times until they are born into their physical bodies and more often than not, the guardian they've created later becomes the child they raise if they follow the right paths. That day in the shop both of you were in a situation where you felt all was lost but what may have seemed like an act of desperation on your part was the invocation of the most powerful form of true love's magic. It, I believe, is what finally deactivated the trigger, not Emma and Regina's combined magic although it did help. Emma _is _powerful as a child born of true love however, she is not the most powerful one and the potion you created with strands of her parents' hair was only a mild form of true love's magic which is why some portions of the Dark Curse were not completely broken. There was a prophecy that I wasn't aware of until Pan came to Storybrooke that through a union between one whose heart shines with the brightest light and one whose heart is trapped in darkness our world's darkest evil would be defeated and all curses would be broken."

Rumple gazed down at his infant daughter again, an unfamiliar memory flashing before his eyes. He saw himself and Belle in the backroom of his shop sleeping when the spirit he saw in Pandora's Box appeared before them. He was about to awaken when she cast a spell over him sending him back to sleep and brushing a lock of hair from his eyes, something Belle often did and smiling at him as she spoke.

_"We will meet soon Rumplestiltskin, but not yet. You've only just begun to follow the path you must take for your redemption but the road is long and there are many dangers still ahead but now that you have back one of your strongest sources to light your way you will succeed. You, Belle, are his strongest light, the first to see the man behind the beast and to retain your faith in your love even when he gave you cause to doubt him. You've bound yourself to him heart, body and soul and in doing so, you have begun the process of banishing the darkness from his heart but it cannot fully be banished unless he agrees to surrender it. To do so he must defeat its source as a mortal." _

The next memory he saw was after his father was defeated. He lay on the street in Belle's arms with Bae, Henry and Emma standing near them as the spirit reappeared. When he asked her how she escaped the box he was confused by her answer. Now it made perfect sense.

_"I was never a prisoner there. I merely appeared because your heart called to me. And now that have you have destroyed the Dark One's essence, you have been given a second chance to be the man you always wanted to be and you will retain your magic, in a limited form. Be aware, using it will extract a price from you physically and you can only be healed through the strength of those who are bound to you by love and blood so wield it with caution."_

_"Will we meet again?"_

_"Perhaps...but in a different form and only if you continue on the path you're now on."_

_"Do you Seers ever give a straight answer? It would save us all a lot of trouble, now wouldn't it?"_

_"You can't always get what you want."_ the spirit sang.

_"Ummm...am I hearing things or did she just start singing a Rolling Stones song?" _Bae had asked.

_"She did. What's up with that anyway?"_ Emma inquired.

_"Well, are you going to answer me, Hope?" _

_"I've given you enough clues that will eventually lead you to the answer. Follow the path you're on and you'll have the answer in time. I must be going now."_

Hope made his cellphone ring to play Sympathy For The Devil. He'd assumed then she was just mocking his musical tastes but in reality, she'd given him the strongest clue to her identity.

The next memory he saw wasn't his. He could see the spirit from Pandora's Box walking down the street changing into the beautiful little girl their child would look like when he discovered his wife was pregnant holding an Ipod and browsing through the songs until she found Sympathy For The Devil. She was singing along to it before she vanished.

"If what you've done before this is any indication, I'm going to have my hands full with you, aren't I, little imp?" he murmured as he took the baby from Belle's arms and cradled her against his chest and kissed her forehead then kissed his wife.

**Author's Notes: The flashbacks included during the scene of Hope's birth are from the first book of this series **_**The Heart of Everything**_** which I plan to post eventually. There's just two more chapters to go on this one. **


	18. Juno: Dual Nuptials, Backside Bandits

_Two years later_

"Remind me again _why_ I have to wear this thing?" Rumple complained as he tugged at the purple silk bow tie that felt more like a noose around his neck. Belle giggled from her place on the edge of the bed in their new summer home's master bedroom.

"You wear ties all the time. Why does this one bother you?" she asked.

"Because it feels like a bloody noose, that's why," he grumbled while he fastened the last two buttons on the purple silk vest he wore beneath his black jacket. "I can only imagine the complaints my sons are making right now since neither one of them enjoys dressing formally."

Belle rose and smoothed out the wrinkles in the skirt of the strapless purple silk gown she wore. Although her husband preferred seeing her in blue, the purple gown she wore accented her curves perfectly. The dress required several fittings before it was comfortable enough for the once again expecting mother.

A loud wail sounded from the playpen beside the bed. Rumple chuckled and reached down to pick up his furious daughter. "Sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the playpen," he murmured as he kissed her forehead. "Today is a happy day, Hope, my sweetheart. Your brothers are getting married so can you put on a pretty smile for me?" The child quieted down, her small lips forming a faint smile.

"I don't know how you do that. It takes me hours it seems to get her to calm down but she does it immediately for you," Belle remarked. "She's definitely Daddy's girl."

"Yes you are," he cooed to the baby. "And any day now you'll get to see your little brother Nathaniel," he said as his shifted Hope to one arm and caressed his wife's belly.

"I have a feeling our son is going to be the complete opposite of his sister if this pregnancy is any indication. Every woman we know tells me they've never seen such a quiet baby. If I didn't know any better I'd think he's been in there reading books the whole time."

Rumple chuckled. "It wouldn't surprise me. It's this little imp that is going to put more gray on my head especially when she starts dating and we've already seen the chaos she causes with magic when she puts her mind to it."

"We have a while yet for the dating nightmare."

"Thank the gods," he muttered. "Let's get going before Bae and Diego wear holes in my floors."

The two grooms waited at the bottom of the staircase. Bae wore a black silk tuxedo with a purple vest and tie that matched his father's while Diego was in his officer's uniform. The rest of the wedding party was gathered in the sitting room and the guests were waiting out in the gardens, the majority of them being from Storybrooke while only a small number came from Miami and Juno as the Golds were still integrating into society in both places.

"You're not ready to pass out, are you lads?" Rumple teased.

"Aww, knock it off Pop!" Diego moaned. "I'm gonna screw up...I know it."

"He's not good at public speaking and is scared to death he'll mess up his vows." Bae spoke up. "I'm good."

"Well as soon as everyone else gets in here we can get started."

"We're coming," Regina said as she emerged from the sitting room with Henry. There had been much debate over who would stand up with Bae at the altar. Both Darling brothers wanted the honor and nearly came to blows over it until Rumple placed them both in a bubble and made them stay there until they fought it out but Bae ended any debate by deciding that his son should be the one with him and Tink wanted no other matron of honor than her best friend Regina. Minutes later Diego's best man Brian Matheson came out with Julianne, who was her matron of honor. Diego knew it still broke his bride to be's heart that it would not be Alexis standing with her as she always wanted and Julianne assured her Alexis would be there in spirit.

As the wedding party gathered, Belle couldn't help thinking about her own wedding. The only dark spot had been her father's refusal to give her away or even attend the wedding. She'd been prepared to walk down the aisle alone when Eric and Ariel stepped in to do the honors. She was worried Tink would face the same dilemma until the fairy explained that Blue and Robin Hood would give her away. Robin Hood wanted the honor because he credited the fairy for bringing him and Regina together.

"Come on Hope, Mama and Daddy have to get your brothers married," Granny said softly as she took the baby from Rumple's arms while Pinocchio held Ariel and Eric's daughter Melody. Belle and Rumple were expecting their child to throw one of her tantrums until she saw Melody nestled in Pinocchio's arms. The two babies enjoyed being together from the moment they were born. Rumple and Belle kissed their daughter and Granny and Pinocchio went out to the garden to take their seats.

"All right, lads. Let's get going," Rumple said to his sons as he linked his arm through his wife's and walked out to the garden. Jefferson, acting as announcer for the wedding stood near the altar to explain who was who to the mixed audience while Leroy and Sneezy were acting as ushers.

"Grandmother of our second bride Channon McDermott, Mrs. Fiona McDermott," he announced as Sneezy led the elderly lady down the carpeted pathway to her seat in the front row while Leroy took his place beside Rumple and Belle. They arrived from Scotland two days earlier and hadn't had a chance to meet the Golds yet although Channon had explained what they were. The McDermotts were used to keeping secrets and finding out they were among a group of real live fairy tale characters hadn't fazed them.

"Shall we?" he asked the couple.

"Lead the way Grumpy," Belle said with a smile.

"Father and stepmother of our grooms Baelfire Gold and Diego Rivera, Rumplestiltskin and Belle Gold."

"Mrs. McDermott," Rumple greeted his future in-law warmly.

"Call me Fiona, lad," she corrected as she grabbed him and kissed his cheek.

"Lad? Madam, I'm three hundred years older than you are!" he exclaimed and laughed.

"You still look like a lad to me," the elderly woman teased. "And a handsome one at that. If you weren't already taken...my apologies lassie," she added to Belle who was giggling.

_Great gods in Heaven, even Channon's grandmother is flirting with me! _

"I've gotten used to it Fiona," Belle said.

"Well, he's handsome and.._virile_...two children in two years. Not lacking in the bedroom department, eh lassie?" she asked Belle who blushed.

Rumple buried his face in his hands and shook his head in disbelief. "I'm in hell," he muttered. "Just do me a favor and keep your hands to yourself you saucy old wench!"

Fiona snorted. "Lad, if I want to check out the goods, I'll check out the goods...or I'll just ask your wife. I'm old but not dead yet. I can still have a good roll in the sheets when I get the urge."

"What in the _hell_ have I gotten myself into?" he moaned.

"Mother of our bride Channon McDermott, Miss Catriona McDermott," Jefferson announced while Sneezy brought Catriona McDermott over to her chair beside Fiona.

"Mum, why does Rum look like he wants to crawl in a hole?" Catriona demanded of her mother. Fiona cackled.

"Your mother's flirting with him," Belle giggled.

"Mum! You could've waited for me!" Catriona protested.

"Oh no...no no..no! What _is it_ with the women in your family!" Rumple growled at Fiona.

"Well, wouldn't be the first time we've shared a man, eh Cattie my girl? And we _are _proud whores," she reminded him.

"Aye," Catriona agreed and smirked. "Only _my daughter_ won't share that fine specimen she's marrying, dammit all."

"Wonders never cease," Rumple muttered.

"Mother of our bride Tinkerbell, the Blue Fairy," Jefferson announced as Leroy escorted Blue to her seat.

"Did I miss something?" she asked Belle who was still chuckling.

"Don't ask," Rumple hissed.

Bae and Diego walked out to the front of the aisle with the pastor and waited for the rest of the wedding party to enter. They would alternate between pairs from Bae's party then Diego's.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Tinkebell and groom Baelfire Gold, Miss Wendy Darling escorted by Mr. Michael Darling."

Rumple and Belle glanced back at the pair, beaming with pride as the siblings walked up the path to stand on Bae's side.

"Thank God we found some place for those boys in the wedding party or we would've had a brawl on our hands," Rumple whispered to his wife.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Channon McDermott and groom Diego Rivera, Mrs. Elizabeth McDermott escorted by Mr. Charles Harrington," Jefferson announced as Beth and her brother followed Michael and Wendy down the path to stand on Diego's side.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Tinkerbell and Baelfire Gold, Mrs. Snow White Nolan escorted by Mr. David Nolan," Jefferson called out while Snow and David marched to their position. Snow waved at Rumple and Belle who waved back. Like Belle, she was also expecting although her child wasn't due for another four months.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Channon McDermott and Diego Rivera, Mrs. Victoria Dennison escorted by Mr. Drake Dennison." Belle glanced over at the man Channon once described as the love of her life and the father of Victoria's teenage son. Victoria and Julianne managed to locate the fathers of their children with Rumple's help, unaware they had a connection to Channon's family or that they were former MI6 agents in hiding after being falsely accused of treason.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Tinkerbell and Baelfire Gold, Miss Emma Swan, escorted by Mr Killian Jones." Thanks to Dr Whale's skills and Tink and Regina's combined magic, Hook once again had a hand attached to his arm instead of his trademark hook. He still kept it as protection but he missed having a real hand. Everyone was taking bets in Storybrooke as to how long Emma would be able to dodge the matrimony bullet. Most people gave her six months while others gave her another year.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Channon McDermott and Diego Rivera, Mrs. Melanie Matheson escorted by Mr. Colin Whitmore," Jefferson announced as the spouses of Channon's matron of honor and Diego's best man entered together.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Tinkerbell and Baelfire Gold, Miss Ruby Lucas, escorted by Mr Jonathan Darling." Although Ruby wore a purple gown along with the rest of the party, she had an enchanted red ribbon tied around her wrist to prevent her from changing into her wolf form once darkness fell.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Channon McDermott and Diego Rivera, Miss Angelina Whitmore escorted by Mr. Andre Dennison." Julianne and Victoria's teenagers were the youngest bridesmaid and groomsman, their parents watching with pride as they moved into their positions on the McDermott/Rivera side of the wedding party.

"Bridesmaid and groomsman of bride Tinkerbell and Baelfire Gold, Mrs Ariel Willamett and Mr. Eric Williamet." The former mermaid and her prince also waved to Rumple and Belle and their daughter who had fallen asleep on Pinocchio's shoulder and joined their group.

The final bridesmaid and groomsman were from Diego and Channon's wedding party. Belle smiled as she watched Miranda Santanna walk up the aisle on the arm of her husband Thomas Matheson. Miranda would also be singing at the reception much to her pleasure and she already knew what song she wanted to hear as she danced with Rumple.

"Matron of Honor of bride Tinkerbell, Miss Regina Mills escorted by Best Man of Baelfire Gold, Mr. Henry Mills Gold!" Jefferson announced as Henry led his mother over to her position on Tinkerbell's side of the altar while he took his place beside his father.

"Rumple, are you crying?" Belle asked softly as she heard her husband sniffling.

"Have something in my eyes," he lied then reached into his pocket for his handkerchief and wiped tears from his eyes before his wife could see them but she had and clasped his hand in hers.

"And that is your answer why we find this man so irresistable lassie," Fiona said Belle. "Most men you'd have to kick in the ballocks to get to show any emotion. "Here lad, use mine," Fiona said and handed Rumple her handkerchief. "Be needing that back once our wee Channon comes in."

"Matron of Honor of bride Channon McDermott, Mrs Julianne Whitmore, escorted by Best Man of groom Diego Rivera, Mr. Brian Matheson." Julianne and Brian took their places on Channon and Diego's side of the altar, Brian patting his friend's shoulder in support.

"Diego looks like he wants to faint," Fiona whispered to Rumple. "You got any mumbo jumbo you can use to calm him a bit, lad?"

"I'll have to keep it simple or we'll have a passed out groom and an angry bride," he said and waved his hand to send a mild calming spell to his adoptive son who seemed to relax a bit.

"I woulda given 'im a shot of good ole Irish whiskey," Catriona said and chuckled. "Right, Mum?"

Fiona swatted her daughter. "Just because your da was half sauced at our wedding doesn't mean we have to repeat tradition! Please tell me you at least had enough common sense to be sober at _your_ wedding?" she demanded of Rumple.

"Was too nervous to drink," he confessed. "Can't say the same for Bae though. Had a devil of a hangover the next morning because he drank enough for both of us."

The last three people to enter were Grace Hatter and the Zimmerman twins. The girls were the flower girls for both wedding parties and Hansel was acting as their ring bearer.

Blue stood up and the rest of the wedding guests followed suit as the traditional wedding march began to play.

"Our first bride, Miss Tinkerbell, escorted by Mr. Robin Hood!" With her arm linked through Robin Hood's Tinkerbell came down the aisle first in a strapless silk and lace white gown with a short skirt. They stopped behind Bae. Blue moved to stand beside her former apprentice.

"Who gives this woman in marriage?"

"Her mother Blue and I do," Robin announced and placed her hand in Bae's. Blue kissed her cheek and lifted her veil then returned to their seats. Rumple handed Fiona her handkerchief back when he saw the tears in her eyes as she and her daughter heard their family's piper playing the clan's anthem "White Rose of Perth" on his bagpies.

"Our second bride Miss Channon McDermott escorted by Mr. James McDermott," Jefferson announcedas Channon walked down the aisle with her brother. Even Rumple became emotional hearing the bagpipes because his curse memories had given him ties to Scotland. Jamie wore his kilt while his sister had a tartan made of the clan's colors draped over her fifteenth century styled wedding gown. Catriona patted her mother's arm and went to stand on the other side of her daughter.

"Who gives this woman in marriage?"

"Our mum, grandmother and I do," Jamie answered while Catriona lifted her daughter's veil and Jamie placed her hand in Diego's. Catriona returned to her seat, laughing through her own tears while her mother was weeping on Rumple's shoulder while he patted her back.

"Mum, you're not fooling me one bit. You just wanted an excuse to cozy up!" Catriona chastised. Fiona looked up and glared over at her daughter.

"Not like you wouldn't missy!" she retorted. "And that cologne he's wearing..."

"I know," Belle murmured as she rested her head on his other shoulder and indulged in her own wicked thoughts that she planned to act on after the baby was born.

"Why me?" Rumple moaned, grateful his sons were too entranced with their brides to notice that the three women he was sitting with were ogling him like a rooster in a henhouse. Belle's attentions he enjoyed while he wanted to run and hide from the McDermott wenches. Guests, however, had noticed and were concealing snickers behind their hands. He was never going to live this down. He dreaded the photographic evidence popping up on Facebook the next morning. He quickly detached Fiona from his shoulder so that he could pay attention to the rest of the ceremony much to her disappointment.

"Ladies and gentleman...I give you Mr. and Mrs. Baelfire Gold and Mr. and Mrs. Diego Rivera!" the pastor announced as the newly married couples faced the congregation. Rumple and Belle rose from their seats and embraced Bae and Tink first.

"Thank the gods I'm free from those two!" he exclaimed.

"What did we miss?" Bae inquired.

"Oh, let's just say flirting with Rumple seems to be a McDermott family trait," Belle chuckled.

"What? Who? Channon's mother or her grandmother?"

"Both," Rumple and Belle said in unison.

_"Both?!"_ Tink and Bae exclaimed, laughing themselves.

"What's so funny over here?" Diego asked as he approached them with Channon on his arm.

"Papa had to fend off Catriona and Fiona," Bae answered.

Channon beamed. "Whaddya know, Grammy still has it in her. Oh and Rum...watch your ass. I mean it literally."

_"Why?"_ he asked, dreading what her answer would be. He had his answer when he felt someone giving him a hard smack on his backside and turned to face a grinning Fiona.

"Do you mind?" he cried. Belle buried her face in his shoulder and laughed again.

"You and that nice backside of yours owe me a dance," she said and walked over to Diego, swatting his. "Ummm...yours too. Now let's see if it runs in the family...oh it does! You too lad!" she said to Bae after he received his own smack while their wives had tears streaming down their cheeks as they laughed.

"Shameless old wench!" Rumple muttered.

"Oh Cattie! Come here love!" Fiona called to her daughter.

All three men thrust their hands behind their backs to cover their bottoms, knowing exactly what the elderly woman had planned. Channon glanced over at Tink and Belle who nodded and moved behind their husbands to move their hands, giving Catriona a clear shot.

"What the...Belle don't you even...!"

"Tink!"

"Channon!"

"Here ya go Mum!" Channon announced. Catriona grinned and stepped up to each man, smacking him.

"Why don't you bother that pirate over there," Rumple growled, pointing in Hook's direction.

"Oh we will...but you owe me a dance too...all of you do," Catriona said. "C'mon Mum! Let's go get us some pirate booty!"

"P..._Pirate booty_?" Belle giggled.

"Ummm...don't you think we should warn him first?" Diego asked as they watched the two women approach the former pirate.

"No. I am going to enjoy this," Rumple said and grinned evilly. "Then again, knowing that scoundrel so will he...but Emma certainly will not and then he will be a bit of trouble."

Hook was in a deep conversation with David when he felt a hard smack on his backside. He grinned. "Thank you my lady, may I have another?"

"Umm...Hook...that's not Emma," David cautioned. Hook spun around to face the elderly woman who was supposed to be Channon's grandmother however, she still looked young. She stood with Channon's mother. The two of them looked like sisters.

"Ohhhh you can have as many as you like laddie!" Fiona purred. "Have at it, Cattie my girl!" Catriona smacked him a bit harder.

He laughed. "We haven't been properly introduced. My name is Killian Jones...but you can call me Captain Hook," he said and bowed.

"Soooo my boy, are we going to have a dance with you and your lovely pirate booty this evening?" Fiona asked.

"If you wish, my lady."

"Wonderful...your turn princey boy!" Fiona said as she approached David and smacked him. Catriona followed suit.

"Ummm...yikes! I...youch...!"

"No dance with this one, Cattie. Too much of a softie, I like a firm one with a little spice like those Gold men and our pirate friend here." Fiona said and they walked away. Hook sniggered while David glared at him.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked as she and Snow approached them chuckling.

"You've just met the 'Backside Bandits'," Channon said as she and the rest of the Gold/Rivera clan joined them.

"Backside Bandits?"

"Be lucky its only that tonight because they're known as the Ball Bandits too," Channon added. "Back in Scotland when they recruit men for the house they make their decisions based on how firm their butts are and umm...fill in the blanks."

"Now they're going for Robin Hood...better go warn Regina before she roasts 'em!" Tink said as she dashed over to her friend and whispered in her ear. The former Evil Queen threw back her head and laughed hysterically when she saw her boyfriend get corned by the McDermott women and smacked. "What's the verdict, ladies?" she called out while the former thief wanted to hide in the palm trees.

"He'll do," Catriona called back.

"Well if they would get done molesting every adult male here, we could get the reception started," Rumple muttered.

"You gotta admit, it is kinda funny Pop." Diego teased. His father glared at him.

As they were walking into the ballroom Belle gasped as she felt a sharp pain in her lower back.

"Belle, is something wrong my sweetheart?" Rumple asked worriedly.

"No, no...it was nothing...just a little pain that's all."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine," she insisted as they sat down. While they waited for the brides and grooms to enter she felt another sharp pain and reached for her husband's hand. "Rumple..." she moaned. "I...I think it's time."

"Time for..._that time?!"_ he cried.

"Yesss..." she groaned through her pain.

"Henry!" he called out. His grandson ran over to their table.

"What's going on Grandpa?"

"Belle's having your uncle and I have to take her to the hospital. Can you make our excuses to your father and Uncle Diego please and tell Granny she may need to keep Hope a bit longer?" Rumple asked as he helped his wife to her feet.

"Rumple, you shouldn't be driving her there yourself," Regina said as she approached them.

"And just what do you suggest, dearie?" he asked sarcastically. "We can't just pop in!"

"Rumple!" Belle wailed. "If you don't quit stalling I'm going to end up having our son right here and I _am not thrilled with that idea!_"

"Grandpa, Jimmy's got the car running so you and Belle are going in the limo and Dad said he and Uncle Diego are gonna go ahead of you in his car with the siren on so people get outta the way," Henry explained when he returned.

"Your father and uncle should stay here with their brides and their guests!" Rumple snapped.

"You're not talking us out of it, Papa," Bae insisted as he and Diego escorted the couple out to the limo with their brides close behind.

"You get us to the hospital quickly but in one piece Jimmy or so help me you will become a snail!" Rumple hissed at their driver. Jimmy chuckled.

"Rumple...quit being such a...ahhhh..._beast_ and get in this car!" Belle shouted. "Oh gods..why did I let you do this to me..._again!?_" she moaned once they were in the limo and speeding off toward the hospital.

"You had no objections at the time, my sweetheart."

She glared at him. "You had the easy part. Next time I am gonna find a spell that will make _you_ have it, not _me_!"

"Oh you can try dearie but there's no spell in the world that will allow a man to deliver a baby."

"Ooohhhhhh Nathaniel you were so quiet all these...why do you have to be difficult now?"

"Belle, sweetheart, try not to talk."

"You keep quiet!" she barked.

He should have been prepared, she was worse when she was delivering Hope mostly because it was her first time giving birth and what happened was nothing like she'd read in her books, lasting ten hours and their child's magic was already manifesting itself. He was hoping their son would take pity on them and not take as long being born.

"Rumple...my water just broke!" she cried.

"Jimmy for the love of God, hurry the hell up! I don't want to be delivering my son myself!" he snarled.

"Almost there, Mr. Gold."

By the time they got her settled in the delivery room Belle's contractions were closer together and more intense. She looked at her husband, her blue eyes pleading with him to use his magic to help her but as before he knew using magic on a pregnant woman was dangerous. He could only stay by her side, hold her hand and whisper words of encouragement in her ear. It was its own form of magic and as if their son heard his mother's thoughts, he decided not to keep her in agony for long. Less than three hours after her labor started Nathaniel Robert Gold made his entrance with a small cry.

"In the twenty years I've been in practice this has to be the quietest newborn I've ever heard," the doctor said as he handed the baby to the nurse to clean. Belle and Rumple laughed through their tears remembering their daughter's far more dramatic entrance.

"Oh, our first was bit louder," Rumple quipped.

"And here he is," the nurse said softly as she placed Nathan into his mother's arms while Rumple leaned over and kissed his wife.

"I love you," he whispered. "And I love you too Nathaniel."

**Author's Notes: Last chapter is coming dearies and boy do the new parents have a big surprise waiting for them when they get home…and it's not a pretty one!**


	19. Juno: The Wrath of Rumple, The Bruiser

All the new parents wanted to do when they returned home was fall into bed and sleep for at least a day even though it would not be possible with two young children in the house. Rumple was used to being awakened at all hours by a screaming infant while Belle was still adjusting to it. Most of the time Rumple was already in the room and had their daughter reasonably calm by the time she walked in but she refused to go to sleep until she heard her mother's voice telling her a story while walking her around the room. They decided that if they wanted another child they would wait until Hope and Nathaniel were a bit older or just be content spoiling the grandchildren they expected their older children to provide them with as well as spending more time with the one they already had.

Jimmy unlocked the front door while Rumple escorted his wife and their son into the house. As they entered the living room, he froze in place, his cane crashed to the floor and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at the sight that met his eyes.

"What...?" Belle whispered.

"Sweetheart, go on upstairs. _I'll take care of this,"_ he hissed.

"But..."

"Go on!"

Belle cradled the baby against her chest and and went upstairs to their bedroom. Granny Lucas was asleep in a chair beside Hope's playpen. Belle placed Nathaniel in the empty crib beside his sister's playpen and gently shook the older woman awake.

"Thank you for looking after her for us, Granny," she said softly.

"It was no trouble at all. You go on and get some sleep. I'll keep an eye on you until Rum comes up. Where is he by the way?"

"He has a situation to take care of downstairs and thankfully the walls in this room are thick because we won't have to hear him once he starts yelling," Belle muttered as she crawled under the covers. "And they'll get no sympathy from me either."

'WHAT THE HELL DID YOU PEOPLE DO TO MY HOUSE?!" Rumple roared at the group of people passed out in various places in his living room and the living room itself in disarray. Robin was the first to awaken and lowered his head sheepishly as he addressed the sorcerer who'd once tried to skin him alive for stealing a wand.

"Ummm..we made a bit of a mess none of us were...ahhh...in any condition to clean up."

"My living room looks like a goddam frat house during rush week! I want all you sons of bitches up off your asses and putting this room back the way it was or so help me God I'll turn you into the pigs you've made of yourselves!"

"Can't turn me into one," Regina muttered from her place beside the former thief.

"Don't count on it, Regina! Now get up!"

"What's all the commotion, lad...Good God in Heaven, what a mess!" Fiona exclaimed as she came up behind him with her daughter close at her heels. She walked into the living room and found her grandson sleeping in the corner with his wife and another woman curled up beside him. She kicked his foot. "James McDermott, you wake the hell up this instant!" she ordered.

"Few more minutes," he grumbled.

"That's what you think. Not to worry lad, I'll get these lazy asses moving without you having to tire yourself zapping 'em." Fiona said to Rumple who was angry enough to unleash the Dark One for an encore. "Cattie my girl, did you happen to bring The Bruiser?" she asked her daughter. Catriona smirked.

"That I did, Mum. Not quite what I had in mind to use it for but I'll get it."

"What's The Bruiser?" Rumple asked.

"You'll see lad, you'll see," the older woman said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Catriona returned minutes later holding a thick wooden paddle in her hands and handed it to her mother. Fiona smirked at the sorcerer as she smacked the paddle in her palm. "Now then lad, here is how this old whore administers some discipline. May need you to put in a few wallops for me if my hand gets tired, Cattie."

"Right behind you, Mum. Let's start with that son of mine first."

Rumple watched with a mixture of shock and amusement as the two women sauntered over to where Jamie lay. Catriona turned him over while his grandmother gave him a hard smack with the paddle.

"Owwww!" Jamie howled as he jumped to his feet and rubbed his backside. "Grammy! I'm not ten anymore!"

"Well, you were acting like it. Now you grab some rags and a bucket of soap and water and start scrubbing the shite off these walls or you'll sporting blisters on your arse. You too Elizabeth!" she snapped at his wife who quickly got up along with their other companion. Hearing the commotion, various other members of the wedding party started waking up and got moving once they saw Fiona coming toward them with the paddle.

"Fiona, do you mind if I borrow this?" Rumple asked, indicating the paddle.

"Have at it, lad."

Rumple walked over to where Hook lay on the floor on his side snoring. Were he still the Dark One he'd be doing worse to the damned pirate than smacking him with a paddle and seeing vomit on the floor near his mouth and the scent of urine tempted him greatly. Instead he raised the paddle and smacked the pirate hard.

"Owww what the...dammit crocodile, what the hell do you think I am...a kid?" the pirate growled as he rubbed his sore backside.

"No but you'll wish you were never born. Now get your ass up and scrub your filth off my carpet! I should shove your goddam nose in it too like the dog you are! And Emma...I'm disappointed in you. Can't you keep this damned pet of yours on a leash?"

"Huh? Wha...?" she moaned.

"Get up!" Rumple snarled.

The young woman sat up slowly and gasped in shock. "Ohhhh shit," she moaned as she surveyed the mess. It wasn't as bad when she passed out during a game of truth or dare with Robin, Hood and Regina but it quickly went from bad to complete disaster quickly. She glanced over at the coffee table and saw the scratches from hers and Regina's heels when they did a strip dance on it on a dare from Hook, hoping she was sober enough to use a spell that would make them vanish before Rumple had a chance to see them. She also had to find her bra and panties...God only knew where they ended up. They had to be with Regina's somewhere and the sooner she found them the better because it was too damned drafty in just her bridesmaid's dress!

She crawled over to where Regina lay and shook her. "Gina, c'mon, we gotta get up!"

"Noooo..."

"Come on dammit, we have to and find...you know what!"

The former Evil Queen's eyes opened. "Oh shit...I don't remember where I...oh my God!" she gasped when she looked up.

"Who do these belong to and why the hell aren't they on your bodies?!" Rumple barked as he held up two strapless bras with one hand and pointed to a lamp where two pairs of panties hung. Every other newly awakened female in the room issued a quick denial of ownership. Rumple walked over to where Emma and Regina were sitting and dropped the bras in their laps, their silence labeling them the guilty parties. "You, I expect this kind of behavior from," he said as he pointed at Regina. "You, on the other hand, Miss Swan, need not follow _her_ example! You can collect the rest of your undergarments yourselves because I am _not_ touching them!" he added as he walked away.

"You look like you're about to pass out, lad. Go on up to bed with your lassie and me and Cattie will keep these twits in line," Fiona said softly.

Rumple chuckled. "Oh I have no doubt of that."

"And by the way...I will be getting a dance from you and that backside of yours before I go back to Scotland."

"I'll make you deal...if you can get these assholes to put my house back in order I'll give you and your daughter two dances each...and in one of my old outfits since I hear you have a fondness for a man in leather."

She grinned. "Nice incentive there, lad. Very well, I accept."

"And the deal is struck," he said as he shook her hand and left the room.

"Ohhhh Cattie," Fiona called out.

"Yes, Mum?"

"We've been promised two dances each from the man who has the best backside in this house in leather if we can get these twits to make this place look like it was before the bomb went off so let's make sure they follow through."

"Don't worry...they will," Catriona threatened as she smacked the paddle in her palm. "I see people slacking over there!" she yelled. "Get scrubbing or you'll be getting well accquainted with The Bruiser here!"

Belle awoke when she heard her husband enter their bedroom.

"Did you turn them all into the pigs they are?" she asked angrily. "Food all over the floor and walls...beer cans...beer bottles...this house is not a zoo!"

"Be grateful you didn't see the panties on the lamp."

_"What?!"_ she screamed, waking both of the children. She jumped out of bed and picked up Nathaniel while Rumple picked up Hope. They sat down on the bed with the children in their arms. "Mommy's sorry she yelled. She's just mad as hell at the idiots downstairs who made our home a mess. Thankfully Bae, Tink, Channon and Diego didn't participate in that or Ariel and Eric."

"Neither did Snow and David but I think they'll be having a talk with Emma."

"So what did you do to them?"

"I unleashed the Backside Bandits on them all...except for Hook. I whalloped his ass myself for pissing and throwing up on the rug." He laughed. "They actually have a paddle they call The Bruiser...and I promised them if they make those idiots get the house back to what it was, I'd give them two dances in my gray and black leather outfit."

"Mmmm...even I'd want a dance with you in that...before I took it off. You _do_ have it here, don't you?"

"It'll be arranged because if I know those two, they'll come though."

"They can have their two dances but you're mine afterwards."

"I always am." Suddenly he felt a sharp tug on his hair and glanced down at Hope. She was pointing at Nathaniel.

"Nate?" she asked.

Her parents smiled. In the last three months of Belle's pregnancy they'd been working with Hope to try to get her to pronounce her brother's name. Nathaniel was too difficult for to say so they decided to teach her the shortened version of it. "That's right, sweetie. This is Nate," Belle said.

"Nate play?" she asked hopefully.

"Not yet honey...he's too small right now but you'll be playing soon enough."

She frowned. "Play with Mel?"

"She may not be awake yet, sweetheart," Rumple said.

"Wanna play!" she wailed, her emotions causing her magic to react and items from Belle's dresser started floating in the air and crashing against the wall. The child grinned. "Play now."

"Hope, stop it!" her father said firmly only to find that there was a bottle of baby power being shaken over his head. He sneezed as he inhaled some of the powder.

"Daddy have snow!" she declared, clapping her hands.

"Hope! Stop it..now!" Belle commanded and soon found herself being sprinkled with baby powder. Rumple waved his hand and the powder covering them vanished and all the items were returned to the dresser. Hope glared at him.

"No fair."

"Oh yes it is, missy and don't sit there and act like you don't understand me. You may be in a child's body right now but I know your mind is more developed and I want it to understand this: you are not to use magic against anyone in this family."

"No poof..." She waved her hand in the same way he did. "on Mommy...Nate...or Daddy?"

He shook his head. "That's right...no magic."

"Price?"

"Yes. It comes with a price and sometimes it hurts."

"Okay. I not do it. You mad?"

"No, I'm not mad." he said as he hugged her.

"Mommy mad?"

"No sweetie," Belle replied and kissed her cheek then returned a sleeping Nathaniel to his crib. She looked over at her husband. He could barely keep awake himself and trying to convince their daughter to go back to sleep was next to impossible once she was woken up. He decided to try to see if Ariel and Melody were awake. Luckily they were and Hope ran to her friend as soon as she was set on her feet. By the time Rumple returned to the room Belle was already asleep and as soon as his head touched the pillow so was he.

"Now then, this is what this room _should_ look like," Fiona said with her hands on her hips as she and Catriona glared at the exhausted members of the cleanup crew. It had taken them most of the day and for two of them, quite a lot of magic, but the living room was restored to its former glory. "Be lucky you lot aren't in Scotland because my house is much harder to clean. You can go sleep your hangovers off now but if I found out your rooms look like this...well...you get the idea." she said as she held up the paddle. They all glared at her as they left the room and retreated to their bedrooms. The two women sat down on the love seat, poured themselves a drink and turned on the television, falling asleep themselves.

Fiona felt someone shaking her shoulder gently and gazed into Rumple's brown eyes.

"I believe I owe you two dances."

She looked down and saw him wearing a pair of silk pajamas. "Where's the leather, lad?"

He waved his hand and was now dressed in his grey and black leather suit.

"Is that what you looked like where you're from?" she asked, unable to resist staring as did her daughter.

"Close. When he was fully under his curse, his skin was almost reptilian and he usually wore brown leather and silk shirts," Belle explained.

"Lassie, I don't know how you are able to stand there so calmly when I would have thrown him to the floor and had my way with him by now."

Belle giggled. "Oh, there'll be time for that but he has a deal to fulfill first."

He bowed and held out his hand to Fiona, escorting her into the dining room while Catriona and Belle followed close behind.

"This is the happiest Mum's been since my father passed away," Catriona confessed as Rumple led his giddy partner across the dance floor to "Unforgettable" and "All The Way"

"How long has it been?"

"Thirty years. My father was a good man. He knew what Mum did for a living, hell all of Scotland, England and Ireland knows what we do for a living, but he didn't give a damn. He loved her all the same. I guess Rumple reminds her a lot of him."

"What about you? Has there been anyone? Channon and Jamie's father?"

"He was already married when we met and will never divorce his wife or even acknowledge my children as his. I'm happy dating once in a while but taking care of my girls and guys is more important to me."

"It's your turn Cattie. My, that man is a marvelous dancer!"

Belle smiled. He'd used a great deal of magic on his leg so that his dances with them would be perfect and it would catch up to him later but he didn't care and she loved him all the more for it. Catriona chose to dance to two of her favorite songs from the Sixties "Unchained Melody" and "At Last". In her heart, Belle wished the two McDermott women would've been able to have a lasting happiness with their true loves but she was learning that in this world, very few people believed in true love anymore.

"It's your turn now, lassie, since you didn't get a chance to dance at your sons' wedding," Fiona said softly. "And thank you..."

"You're welcome."

She was about to take her husband's hands in hers when he stepped back.

"What's wrong?"

He waved his hand and she was back in her old golden gown, restored to its original beauty and took her into his arms. "Much better," he murmured as they danced to the same Spanish love songs Miranda was singing the night they had dinner at Casa Miranda.

"This isn't exactly like the dance scene in the movie is, it?" Rumple asked his wife referring to the animated version of their story.

She scoffed. "I like this better… still a bit of my beast left in the man. The prince turned into another brainless fool with good looks when the curse broke…at least that was my impression."

Rumple chuckled. "Don't let anyone at Disney World hear you say that."

"Maybe we should go there and do just that." she suggested.

"I don't think Orlando is ready for us yet. You said you wanted to see the world, sweetheart and we'll do it a bit at a time," he vowed.

"I'm in no hurry. We have the rest of our lives to do it."

**Author's Notes: And now we've reached the end of this portion of the Gold family adventures. Soon I'll posting the prequel, **_**The Heart of Everything. **_


End file.
